Latest news with #CouncilofCanadianInnovators
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Balsillie tapped to help lead Manitoba's new technology task force
Former BlackBerry Ltd. co-chief executive Jim Balsillie will help spearhead an innovation and productivity task force aimed at setting Manitoba's technology strategy, the government announced this week. '(These) efforts will position Manitoba as a leader in 21st-century digital governance and economic competitiveness,' said Mike Moroz, Manitoba's innovation and new technology minister, who will co-chair the task force. Last November, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew created a new innovation and technology department in a bid to advance the province's tech sector and encourage the use of new technologies within government. Balsillie, who founded the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI), said that Kinew has long had his eye on growing tech in the province. 'But Donald Trump has laid bare the need for our businesses (provincially) and nationally to have more sovereign control,' Balsillie said. That, he added, means controlling the AI, the related intellectual property and the companies that use it. The task force is set to meet over the next six months and create a strategic plan that will act as a north star for the province's innovation and productivity efforts. Other committee members include Manitoba Chamber of Commerce's Clara Buelow; Gautam Srivastava, a professor of computer science at Brandon University; and Debra Jonasson-Young, the executive director of entrepreneurship at the Asper School of Business. Prime minister Mark Carney recently announced the creation of Canada's first-ever cabinet for AI and digital innovation, appointing former journalist Evan Solomon to the role, signalling the importance of tech for this government. Balsillie-owned golf venture partners with Saudi developer to build Middle East luxury resorts Opinion: Ottawa needs a new industrial innovation policy While Balsillie declined to say how much Manitoba would spend on its tech initiatives, the federal government's tech mandate means that 'you're going to see a lot of money on the table,' he said. Alignment with Ottawa will be a major part of the group's work, but Balsillie said he is waiting to see how new Prime Minister Mark Carney's government follows through on his promise to transform the country's economy. 'They say they want to change Canada,' Balsillie said. 'What does their vision of a changed country look like in terms of … what we have to do to be more sovereign and secure?' • Email: ylau@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Winnipeg Free Press
23-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Province unveils innovation, productivity task force with eye on AI, IP
By the end of the year, Manitoba should have a strategy on artificial intelligence, data security and future innovation. The provincial government unveiled an innovation and productivity task force — comprised of industry members — to oversee the strategic plan's creation. 'The world has changed seismically over the last 30 years from a traditional production economy to one that's based on intangibles of intellectual property and artificial intelligence and data,' said Jim Balsillie, who will co-chair the new group with provincial Innovation Minister Mike Moroz. Balsillie chairs the Council of Canadian Innovators and is former co-chief executive of BlackBerry Ltd. The task force, which includes seven more members, will provide a swath of recommendations to government. Balsillie said he was tapped by Premier Wab Kinew months ago to spearhead a plan ensuring Manitoba's economy is 'prosperous and secure and safe' in the changing world. He and peers will look at potential protections as artificial intelligence use grows and the infrastructure needed to foster AI use. The group will delve into intellectual property and sovereignty within Manitoba. 'Being more sovereign, being more value-add, has been a priority for decades,' Balsillie said. 'But it's been laid bare in the last couple months.' The task force will meet every couple weeks over the next six months. The team held its first meeting Wednesday. Determining who to reach out to, and what, exactly, they need to research to fulfill the premier's vision is a journey they're just beginning, Balsillie relayed. The province listed government agencies, industry experts, researchers and Indigenous communities as groups that'll be involved in the strategy's creation. A plan should be completed by November, Balsillie confirmed. 'I have every confidence the everybody's stepping up and going to meet the deadline.' Gautam Srivastava, a Brandon University computer science professor, is one of the task force members. He researches artificial intelligence and data security and privacy. Srivastava considers it a 'strategic time' to be building such a report. 'Everyone wants a piece of this artificial intelligence and data analytics pie,' he said. 'I think our agility here in Manitoba, to create an ecosystem to provide that, could be really prosperous.' If Manitoba can offer computation and infrastructure for computation, it'll draw entrepreneurs, Srivastava said. He plans to research education opportunities — like additive post-secondary programs — in his task force position. Other task force members include Adam Herstein, a partner at Pitblado Law; Clara Buelow, Manitoba Chambers of Commerce communications director and previous lead of the Digital Manitoba Policy Initiative; Jacqueline Keena, managing director of Enterprise Machine Intelligence Learning Initiative (EMILI); Gerry Price, president of Price Industries; Debra Jonasson-Young, executive director of entrepreneurship at the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship in the University of Manitoba; and Ernest Cholakis, founder of Cholakis Dental Group. The province launched its department of innovation and new technology in November. Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former journalist Evan Solomon named first-ever federal AI minister
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney has launched a new artificial intelligence ministry and has named former journalist Evan Solomon to lead it. Experts welcomed the move Tuesday, though they cautioned there are many unanswered questions about how the new minister will split responsibility for digital issues with his counterparts. Benjamin Bergen is president of the Council of Canadian Innovators, which represents the tech sector. He said the move recognizes that when it comes to AI, "we need to move faster and think bigger as a country." The new portfolio was part of a major cabinet shuffle Monday which saw Carney make significant changes and additions to his cabinet. Solomon was elected for the first time in the April 28 election in the riding of Toronto Centre. He previously worked as a TV host for both CBC and CTV. Michael Geist, Canada research chair in internet and e-commerce law at the University of Ottawa, said the new ministry is "good signal about prioritizing AI and digital innovation." "Naming Evan Solomon — who is smart and tech savvy — is an excellent choice," Geist said. While the previous government introduced an AI regulation bill targeting "high-impact" systems, the bill did not become law before the election was called. During the election campaign, Carney spoke about the economic potential of AI and promised to invest in AI training, adoption and commercialization. There was little talk during the campaign about regulating the emerging technology - though the Liberal platform did include a promise to make it a criminal offence to distribute non-consensual sexual deepfakes. Geist said that while there will be calls for the government to move quickly on regulation, "there has been a notable shift globally in recent months toward a more innovation-focused approach." The Liberals' election platform promised to move fast on building data centres, introduce a tax credit to incentivize AI adoption by small and medium-sized businesses, and push to expand programs at Canada's artificial intelligence institutes to drive AI commercialization. The platform also vowed to keep Canadian intellectual property in the country. Critics have been saying for years that, despite Canada's strength in artificial intelligence research, the country has been slow to commercialize the technology and has struggled to retain intellectual property. "We were world leaders in AI research but have really struggled to ingest the technology into our government and to adopt it more broadly across Canada, and... to turn that initial strength in research into prosperity and wealth for Canadians," Bergen said. "So I think this is really a signal that there's a real opportunity for Canada to try and capitalize on this." Carney also has promised to use AI to make government more efficient through a dedicated office of digital transformation, and to build up AI capacity in the labour market. Geist said there are unanswered questions about how responsibility for the file will be distributed in cabinet. Artificial intelligence previously fell largely under the industry portfolio, which is now headed by former foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly. Responsibility for digital files also has been shared with what was previously the heritage ministry. Steven Guilbeault is now back heading that file, which has been renamed Canadian identity and culture. During his time as heritage minister, Guilbeault caused controversy over his handling of legislation to update the Broadcasting Act to incorporate online services. Geist said it's not clear how ministerial responsibility will be split on AI-related issues like copyright. The question of whether generative AI systems can use copyrighted content is currently in front of courts in the United States and Canada. While the federal government held a consultation on the question, it hasn't proposed legislative changes. Florian Martin-Bariteau, university research chair in technology and society at the University of Ottawa, said it's also not clear who in cabinet will take responsibility for incorporating AI into the public sector. Joël Lightbound has been named minister of government transformation, while Shafqat Ali is president of the Treasury Board, which recently led consultations on an AI strategy for the federal public service. "I welcome this, but I would say until… we know exactly who will be in charge of what, maybe I will wait until I fully celebrate," said Martin-Bariteau, adding the division of digital files among various departments "is why in my opinion we don't have a coherent digital policy for the country." "I think it will be good to have a whole-of-government approach on those issues, to tackle also the big picture issues," he added. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2025. Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press
Globe and Mail
13-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Toronto Centre MP Evan Solomon appointed Canada's first AI minister
Former journalist Evan Solomon has been appointed Canada's first minister for artificial intelligence, a newly created role suggesting AI will be a priority for the Liberal government. Mr. Solomon, whose full title is Minister of AI and Digital Innovation, is a new member of Parliament representing the riding of Toronto Centre. He also assumes responsibility for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. Carney's new cabinet adds several rookies, moves Anand to Foreign Affairs Mr. Solomon could face a host of challenges in his role, experts say, including how to increase AI adoption and commercialization, encourage the construction of Canadian-owned and operated data centres, and determining how to regulate AI. Governments around the world see AI as key to improving productivity and economic growth. Canada has played a huge role in AI development, but critics say the country has failed to capture the economic benefits. The largest and most influential AI companies are based abroad, and many AI patents developed here are owned by foreign corporations. 'This is recognition that we, as a country, need to move faster and think bigger, specifically around AI,' said Benjamin Bergen, president of the Council of Canadian Innovators, a non-partisan group that represents tech companies. Some experts had been calling for Canada to appoint a minister for AI. (The portfolio had previously fallen mostly to the minister of innovation, science and industry; on Tuesday, Mélanie Joly was appointed Industry Minister.) Mark Carney's new cabinet: A look at the ministers who are in and out Technation president Angela Mondou and Centre for International Governance Innovation president Paul Samson made the case for an AI minister in an article last year. 'AI ambition requires fervent drive from the top with a responsible minister,' they wrote. The Liberal Party election platform noted the need to 'catalyze commercialization' of AI but did not provide many details. An important way to benefit Canadian AI businesses and increase efficiency in the public sector is for the government to procure products and services from domestic companies, Mr. Bergen said. 'It allows those firms that are selling into government to be able to sell products around the world,' he said. The Liberals have promised to create a digital transformation office, with a focus on AI procurement. Last year, the federal government announced a $2-billion program to help companies access AI computing power and encourage them to build data centres. (Brookfield Asset Management, where Prime Minister Mark Carney previously served as chair, is a big player in data centres. In February, the company said it would spend €20-billion by 2030 to deploy AI infrastructure in France.) Mr. Solomon needs to ensure that AI data centres are truly sovereign, said Jim Hinton, an intellectual-property lawyer who also writes about innovation policy. Many Canadian companies and government bodies rely on cloud computing and AI infrastructure owned by foreign multinationals. 'He needs to clean the slate from the disastrous AI approach that has put Canada in a subservient economic position,' Mr. Hinton said. 'No more deals for foreign firms to control Canadian IP, data, and sovereignty.' AI adoption in Canada is also low. According to a Deloitte report, only 26 per cent of Canadian organizations have implemented AI compared with 34 per cent globally. 'Minister Solomon's real opportunity is to drive adoption, not just discussion,' said Lawrence Zhang, head of policy for Canada at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation in Ottawa. The Liberal platform put forward a 20-per-cent tax credit for small- and medium-sized businesses for AI adoption projects, provided they create jobs. Figuring out how to approach AI regulation could also be on Mr. Solomon's agenda. The Liberal government introduced the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act in 2022 as part of Bill C-27, which was widely criticized by both industry and civil-society groups before dying when Parliament was prorogued. 'It was not an easy file,' said Teresa Scassa, a law professor at the University of Ottawa. 'They might just see this as something that's going to be an ugly and embarrassing battle.' Mr. Solomon spent much of his career in the media and covered politics in Ottawa. He co-founded Shift magazine in the 1990s, which focused on technology and culture, and became a host with CBC. He was dismissed in 2015 after the Toronto Star alleged that he was involved in brokering art deals with people he interacted with as a journalist, including Mr. Carney, then governor of the Bank of England. Mr. Solomon said he never 'intentionally' used his CBC position to promote the art business. He quickly returned to television and secured hosting gigs with CTV. More recently, Mr. Solomon was the publisher of GZERO Media, a global-affairs news and analysis website owned by Eurasia Group, a political-risk consultancy.
