Ottawa, ON, May 24, 2024 – On Wednesday, May 22, TECHNATION launched its inaugural AI4Canada Summit, an annual event that brings together industry and government for important discussions on the acceleration of responsible AI adoption in Canada.
TECHNATION is Canada’s leading technology association, with a mandate to unite industry and government to enhance the significant impact that technology can have on Canada’s economic prosperity and global competitiveness. The AI4Canada Summit is part of TECHNATION’s call to action to accelerate responsible AI adoption to drive productivity, enable the digitalization of sectors, and energize industry and government collaboration across Canada.
“AI’s potential is infinite, but Canada still lags in AI adoption. Accelerating responsible AI adoption across all sectors will require a bold commitment and call to action for government and industry collaboration,” said Angela Mondou, President and CEO, TECHNATION. “Together, we can define a strategic and targeted approach to boost Canada’s productivity and global competitiveness.”
The AI4Canada Summit convened Canadian and global leaders and government officials who delivered insight and recommendations on AI adoption best practices to leverage GenAI’s transforming technology nationwide.
Artificial Intelligence is a hyper-evolving space; as such, an updated national coordinated plan for AI adoption is critical for Canada to maintain its AI leadership position in the highly competitive global economy.
“Artificial intelligence is a significant driver of technology advancement and productivity. As AI continues to evolve, we must be responsible and in particular observe citizens’ legal rights,” said Hon. Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board. “Discussions like this summit held by TECHNATION are crucial as they bring industry and government together. Working hand in hand, we will uphold Canada’s position as a leader in AI.”
At the Summit, global and Canadian technology leaders, shared perspectives on the importance of AI adoption in a Canadian and global landscape.
Ashok Krish, Global Head, AI Cloud Advisory & Consulting Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) highlighted key findings from their recently published AI for Business Study, which explores the transformative power of AI for business.
“The latest evolution of artificial intelligence—including generative AI capabilities—has the potential to help companies reimagine entire value chains, experience pervasive performance improvements, and create new ways of working,” said Ashok Krish, Global Head, AI Cloud Advisory & Consulting, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). “Canada is uniquely and positively positioned in this domain; our AI for Business Study found that Canadian respondents reported more optimism about AI’s potential impact than any other country surveyed.”
Chris Barry, President of Microsoft Canada explored the economic potential of Gen AI and value it can bring to Canadians and our economy through responsible adoption.
“We have a real opportunity to address Canada’s current productivity challenge and create significant value for our economy with Gen AI, but only if we adopt responsibly,” said Chris Barry, President of Microsoft Canada. “As business and government leaders, it’s incumbent upon us to help organizations of all sizes embrace AI and realize the economic advantages before us.”
The AI4Canada Summit is part of TECHNATION’s long-term roadmap focused on responsible AI adoption. Along with the AI/GenAI Industry-Government Strategic Knowledge Exchange, the summit is a lead up to the 2025 global TECH7 Forum that will be held in Canada in conjunction with Canada’s Presidency of the G7 in 2025. TECH7 global partners are comprised of national technology industry associations of G7 countries; TECHNATION is the official representative for Canada.
