Montréal-based AI institute Mila is now responsible for the open-source file outlined in Canada’s national AI strategy, and is in ongoing talks with the federal government for fresh funding to support that work.
The news: Canada’s AI and digital innovation minister Evan Solomon referenced the new funding in a press conference at Montréal AI conference ALL IN on Thursday while announcing Mila’s collaboration with Mozilla for open-source AI development. Mila president and CEO Valérie Pisano confirmed to BetaKit that the research institute is negotiating new federal funding as it has been tasked with advancing open-source AI development, a key part of Canada’s AI strategy.
From the source: “I’m not going to give you the final number yet,” Solomon said, but noted, “it’s in the tens of millions. It’s serious backing, and we’re backing Mila.”
The context: Mila is one of three national AI research institutes under the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, along with the Vector Institute in Toronto and the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) in Edmonton. Amii was tasked with carrying out another part of the AI strategy: a $13-million national literacy program for Canadians. Mila received an injection of $36 million from the Québec government in February to sustain its AI research.
Final thought: Open-source AI models, as opposed to proprietary ones, can typically be downloaded, tweaked, and used for free. The feds’ AI for All strategy, released in June, said “advancing open-source AI” was a federal priority, and that Canada would “lead a global, multi-stakeholder effort to invest in and sustain open-source AI development in the public interest.” With the federal backing, Mila’s new initiative with Mozilla aims to fulfill this priority.
Feature image courtesy Madison McLauchlan for BetaKit.