CIFAR is working with researchers and partners in Canada, France (CNRS) and the UK (UKRI) to explore these issues and synthesize current thinking on the challenges and opportunities raised by this powerful new technology. “We needed to be very, very specific and clear in the definitions we use that apply to the standard,” he said. Luckily, the council didn’t have to start from scratch. Editorial director for IT World Canada and its sister publications, and former community reporter. Many factors inspired the Canadian government to act. The creation of the observatory builds upon a grassroots movement that took shape over the course of last year, with the organization of the Forum on the Socially Responsible Development of AI on 3 November 2017, which adopted the Montréal Declaration for a Responsible Development of Artificial Intelligence. The Government of Canada is investing $85.3 million over five years to help Canadian businesses, creators, entrepreneurs and innovators understand, protect and access intellectual property (IP) through a comprehensive IP Strategy. “This standard provides an international benchmark associated with the management process that should be in place within organizations that are developing and implementing these types of solutions.”. It is a significant, focused investment designed to advance research and innovation in AI, attract and retain some of the world’s leading AI researchers, develop a deep talent pool of highly-qualified personnel, and bring together thought leaders from around the world to examine the broad societal implications of AI. Additional research is needed to develop a broad spectrum of evaluative techniques. Also a great pick up basketball player | acoop@itwc.ca, Hashtag Trending - Apple removes police tracker app; global PC shipment rising; Apple reactivates voice data collection, Canada’s Top Women in Fintech/Blockchain, Canada’s CIO Strategy Council publishes national AI standards. China’s July 2017 national AI strategy set a 2020 goal for China’s “AI industry’s competitiveness [to] have entered the first echelon internationally.” In truth, China’s leadership already … Canada also planned … NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 4 evaluate progress in AI. Bipartisan U.S. Paris Agreement reflects countries’ priorities, report shows, This small advanced economy is using science diplomacy to make its voice heard, Only a minority of innovative firms collaborate with universities, ASEAN Economic Community likely to spur scientific co-operation, says report, Uzbekistan: a national innovation system in the making, The G20 accounts for 92% of global spending on research, Nanotechnology is a growing research priority. ... and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has launched the UAE’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy, marking a new level of innovation built on Smart Government. The Pan-Canadian AI Strategy reflected the recommendations of CIFAR-led consultations within the Canadian AI research community. According to the media relations team at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, AI governance … Automation and job loss owing to AI are critical concerns for countries whose economies are driven by citizen-led micro-economic activities such as agriculture and crafts. Canada was the first country to release a national AI strategy. In what it claims is a world first, Canada’s CIO Strategy Council has released a new set of standards to help organizations responsibly deploy emerging technologies with machine learning running under the hood. What impact would a Brexit have on British and EU science? Canada assumes leadership role on the societal implications of AI. The not-for-profit organization earned its accreditation to develop National Standards of Canada from the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) earlier this year. Towards consensus on science policy in Australia? Building on research and experience that highlight how best to use the internet and computing to improve education, healthcare and governance, IDRC has developed a white paper on AI and development. It is this long history of supporting groundbreaking AI research and building extremely productive global research networks that led the Canadian government to ask CIFAR to develop and implement the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy. Importantly, the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy includes a dedicated research programme on the societal, ethical and economic implications of AI. Brain research has become a policy focus for China, Revised policy may herald new dawn for Sudanese science, 150 readers of the UNESCO Science Report air their views, Countries of all income levels nurturing a digital economy, New STI Agenda reflects aspiration for change in Islamic world. It is likely that AI will figure prominently among national research priorities in the next UNESCO Science Report, due for release in November 2020. China : China has a … The Government of Canada is starting to use Artificial Intelligence to inform decision-making, be more efficient, and provide better services to Canadians.. These initiatives are highly complementary with the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, as they favour strong collaboration between industry and academia on AI. Twenty-five per cent of executives in Canada said they currently embed AI into their products and services. Canada is taking a leadership role in the international conversation striving to understand the societal implications of AI. … But how do you effectively achieve it? In 2017, his government pledged $125 million for a national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy which aims to increase the number of skilled graduates and researchers in the field of AI, … The programme originally fell under the leadership of Geoff Hinton and is now co-directed by Yoshua Bengio and Yann Lecun from New York University and Facebook. The end of the world’s most generous tax regime? It was tricky developing a standard that provided ethical guidelines for chief innovation officers  without stifling the innovative spirit, said Jansa. Strategy 7: Better understand the national AI R&D workforce needs. The program is anchored with strategic and integrated plan to drive the use of AI to enrich, enhance and enforce government initiatives and programs in all sectors: Social & Community Development, … Saving 50% of annual costs using Artificial Intelligence. The first objective of the Strategy was to build on the critical mass and decades of research leadership that existed in Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto and establish three new centres of excellence in AI research and innovation, with Canada’s pioneering AI researchers in leadership roles: the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, where Rich Sutton is Scientific Advisor; the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms (Mila), founded by Yoshua Bengio at the Université de Montréal, which focuses on reinforcement learning; and the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Toronto, where the University of Toronto’s Geoff Hinton is Chief Scientific Advisor. While AI … Compared to the rest of the world, Canada has taken a cautious approach in its pursuit of AI adoption. The AI Futures … The strategy … “Internationally we see principles around openness, principles of transparency. The Strategy is termed #AIForAll as it is focused … Key to the ability to pursue basic research in deep learning and reinforcement learning at these three universities over the last 15 years has been the long-term, sustained support from national and provincial scientific agencies, including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Fonds de recherche du Québec and CIFAR. One project, Una Hakika, uses people and machine learning to verify rumours in troubled hotspots, such as the Tana Delta in Kenya and Rakhine State in Myanmar. In 2017, the Government of Canada appointed CIFAR to develop and lead a $125 million Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the world’s first national AI strategy. The national standard for automated decision systems is available, for free, in English and French, and can be found here. The Strategy includes a program of national activities that build on CIFAR’s success with summer and winter schools in AI, and support activities that are national and … One emerging area of interest is AI for human development. Chile : Chile created an expert committee that is developing a National AI Policy. Canada is one of a growing number of countries that have adopted national AI strategies, or are working towards this goal. Women still a minority in engineering and computer science, World leader in life sciences targeting more rational drug development, Regional economic communities a conduit for South–South cooperation in science, International scientific collaboration has become a must, says report. Canada was the first country to have a national AI strategy. In March 2017, Canada was the first country in the world to announce a national strategy for artificial intelligence (AI), with a CAN$125 million investment over the next five years by the federal government. A Caribbean strategy to cope with climate change, The UNESCO Science Report finds a new public on Wikipedia. The positive potential of AI for developing countries is exciting but AI also poses significant social, political and economic risks. The University of Ottawa’s Institute for Science, Society and Policy has been examining the societal impact of responsible innovation in AI. The standards focus specifically on the ethical design and use of automated decision systems, not simply artificial intelligence, a term that’s lost some meaning over the past year, indicated Jansa. The federal government is also getting ready to announce a new AI Advisory Council, a multistakeholder group responsible for bringing the academic and private sectors together to offer advice and guidance on Canada’s approach to AI innovation and commercialization. Canada’s CIO Strategy Council publishes national AI standards. What is the optimal balance between basic and applied research? French edition of UNESCO Science Report launched in Djibouti, An entrepreneur rewarded for revitalizing Jamaican research, Green technologies a focus of innovation in Morocco, Rwanda integrating environmental protection in its growth strategy. The Canadi… • National AI Program. While AI offers tremendous opportunities to benefit society, there are also concerns with respect to employment, privacy, security, democracy and ethics. In 2017, the Government of Canada appointed CIFAR to develop and lead the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the world’s first national AI strategy. Partnerships between Canadian researchers and those in developing countries have been a key ingredient in these innovative projects. The standard borrows a lot from the OECD’s (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) own principles on AI, which were developed in May. Japan’s own strategy was adopted just a month after Canada’s. At least half of the chairholders will be recruited from outside Canada. As part of the AI strategy, CIFAR will appoint approximately 50 Canada CIFAR Chairs in artificial intelligence at three AI institutes: Amii in Edmonton, the Vector Institute in Toronto, and MILA in Montreal. A task force to determine the scope, governance and implementation plan for this international study group is due to issue a report by the end of this year. They committed to establishing an international study group which would convene experts across countries and sectors and provide a forum for sharing analysis and best practices and providing foresight and coordination capabilities. This is the lowest of all countries surveyed by Deloitte in the third quarter of 2018. “The good news is that Canada can very much be a global lead when it comes to AI ethics,” noted Jansa. THE NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE R&D STRATEGIC PLAN: 2019 UPDATE – 1 – Introduction to the 2019 National AI R&D Strategic Plan Artificial intelligence enable computers and … The observatory will be mandated to support forward-looking research, knowledge mobilization and public engagement around the societal implications of AI. At last count, there were more than 650 AI-based startups in Canada, many of which are developing products and services that have the potential to make a social, environmental and/or economic impact. There was concern in both government and in the private sector that this brain drain would compromise Canada’s capacity to become early adopters of this disruptive new technology. Machine learning approaches are only as good as the data they are trained on and inherent biases and inequities within a dataset can be amplified through machine learning. Canada defaults to its Charter of Rights and Freedoms when it comes to governing AI. California concentrates one-quarter of US business research, The growing influence of billionaires on research priorities in the USA, More Arab countries are seeking to orient their economies towards knowledge, Empowering the private sector to drive economic growth in low-income countries, Gender parity in science not yet a reality, Australia and Canada to raise investment in clean technology, The fourth industrial revolution: tearing down the barriers between services and industry, Africa has begun the transition to sustainable development. In March 2017, Canada was the first country in the world to promulgate a national strategy dedicated for artificial intelligence. So far, the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy has focused on advancing academic research and innovation. AI procurement for a digital world AI procurement for a digital world - Transcript. That has not been defined,” said Keith Jansa, executive director of the CIO Strategy Council. With the pace of innovation outpacing existing current regulations, the council decided to develop a set of standards – with the help of 100 experts and thought leaders – for one of the most popular and misunderstood technologies that businesses and governments across the world are desperately trying to adopt: artificial intelligence. Another project in Sri Lanka employs big data and algorithms to map and predict the spread of infectious diseases, in order to contain outbreaks better. Canada: Canada has a national AI strategy called the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy. Support a national research community on artificial intelligence. The good news is that it has been a great success. An emerging area of interest: AI for human development. In 2017, The Canadian government began working on its Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy in hopes of developing ideas around the economic, ethical, policy and legal implications of advancements in AI. In 2017, Canada launched the world’s first national AI strategy. While the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy mainly focuses on supporting fundamental R&D and doctoral level talent, Singapore’s … These national strategies for AI are building on past efforts to digitize industry , as the 2015 edition of the UNESCO Science Report recalls. The Government of Canada has invested C$125 million in the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy (2017), which has boosted the research capacity of the country’s three leading AI institutes (Edmonton, Montreal, and Toronto), taking a step in the right direction in attracting, training, and retaining high-level AI … A fresh start for science in Mali? Why the increase in Japanese Nobel laureates since 2000? One example is the Innovation Superclusters Initiative, a CAN$950 million investment in regional industrial superclusters. Detailed in the 2017 federal budget, the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy is a five-year, C$125 million plan to invest in AI research and talent. Together, Amii, Mila, Vector, CIFAR and their partner universities have spent the past 18 months recruiting and funding researchers, while training the next generation of Canadian research leaders in AI. The provincial governments of Ontario, Quebec and Alberta have committed, or are expected to commit, additional funding of CAN$50-80 million each to their respective AI Institutes and the private sector has contributed a total amount of more than CAN$100 million to these same institutes. The Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy announced in the 2017 federal budget, is a five-year, C$125 million plan to invest in AI … Towards a monopolization of research in artificial intelligence? This agenda for action underscores the opportunity to use AI technologies to combat entrenched problems such as misinformation and rumours, which can lead to conflict, violence and potentially even genocide. “It was prudent for us to ensure that we got the definition right, that we’re not covering applications or solutions that are beyond what we’re describing.”. Canada was the first country to release a national AI strategy. Can Malaysia avoid the middle-income trap? In 2004, CIFAR launched Canada’s Learning in Machines and Brains Program, previously called Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception. Over many years, their work led to the development of some of the AI-based technologies that we now rely on every day, including voice and image recognition and machine translation. At the same time, the Canadian government has developed a series of initiatives to engage the private sector and advance the innovation agenda. On September 16, 2020, Reps. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) and Will Hurd (R-Texas), after coordination with experts and the Bipartisan Policy Center, introduced a concurrent resolution calling for the creation of a national AI strategy. In June 2018, in advance of the G7 meetings in Charlevoix, Québec, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Emmanuel Macron issued a joint Canada-France statement on AI. Later the same month, the Fonds de recherche du Québec, in partnership with the Ministry of Economy, Science and Innovation, launched a call for proposals to all Québec universities for the creation of an international observatory on the societal impact of AI and digital technologies. In 2017, Canada became the first country to launch a national AI strategy, building on its history of AI research excellence and with the goal of establishing Canada as a world-leading … Jansa expects the standards to develop over time as it’s implemented in specific verticals such as healthcare, but he said it was crucial for some kind of foundational document to be in place sooner than later. Advances in AI will require a strong community of AI … The strategy has four goals: (1) increase the number of AI researchers and graduates, (2) establish three clusters of scientific excellence, (3) develop thought leadership on the economic, ethical, policy, and legal implications of AI, and (4) support the national research community on AI. China: taking stock of progress towards becoming an innovation-driven nation, Opportunity beckons for Africa’s agricultural sector, Iran’s automotive industry: a potential draw for investors, Women underrepresented in decision-making on climate change, The Republic of Korea: a champion of green growth, » Canada first to adopt strategy for artificial intelligence, Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, Montréal Declaration for a Responsible Development of Artificial Intelligence, national strategy for artificial intelligence, the Government of Quebec proposed creating an Organisation mondiale de l'intelligence artificielle (Omia), creation of an international observatory on the societal impact of AI and digital technologies, countries that have adopted national AI strategies, Rapport de l'UNESCO sur la science, vers 2030, Доклада ЮНЕСКО по науке: на пути к 2030 году, Case study of China from UNESCO Science Report now available in Chinese, Japan pushing ahead with Society 5.0 to overcome chronic social challenges, Release of Russian edition of the UNESCO Science Report. The Pan … (in French), Arabic edition of UNESCO Science Report launched in Cairo, Report explores efforts to match skills with market needs. The federal government’s investment in the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy has catalysed significant investments from other levels of government and from the private sector. 1. The benefits have been realized sooner and to a greater extent than was … IDRC has focused on advanced computing to solve development challenges. Is science starting to oil the wheels of Ghana’s development? CIFAR works in … Canadians have a desire to see AI applied for the benefit of all humanity. © VectorInstitute, From left to right: Yoshua Bengio, Geoff Hinton and Rich Sutton, Canada's pioneering AI researchers. What impact might the Brexit have on British and EU science? It is their guiding policy document. Comparing Canada and Singapore’s National Strategies. Only one of them may be explicitly focused on leveraging AI (scale.ai) but all five have plans to integrate AI into their strategy. The remaining question is whether Canada’s AI structures can develop business applications of AI that lead to commercial success for companies and substantial numbers of jobs in Canada. In March this year, the Government of Quebec proposed creating an Organisation mondiale de l'intelligence artificielle (Omia), an intergovernmental organization dedicated to fostering consensus among member states on the standards and practices that must govern the applications of AI. The Strategy is expected to help Canada enhance its international profile in research and training, increase productivity and collaboration among AI researchers, and produce socio-economic benefits for all of Canada. Canada had the talent advantage but we needed to act quickly to maintain that lead. These risks are not unique to developing nations – witness the impact of AI misinformation campaigns on recent US elections – but they may be exacerbated by weak governance and regulatory capacity. 0. In March 2017, Canada was the first country in the world to announce a national strategy for artificial intelligence (AI), with a CAN$125 million investment over the next five years by the federal government. IDRC is embarking on a programme to help developing countries build innovative AI for good, identify not only the benefits but also the risks of AI for themselves and regulate and govern AI technologies. Over the same period, Canada has seen an explosion in the number of AI-based start-ups, which have sprung up across the country in innovation hubs such as Montreal, Toronto, Waterloo, Edmonton and Vancouver. Canada was the first country to release a national AI strategy. The Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy supports AI research and talent attraction and retention in Canada, promotes collaboration between Canada’s main centres of AI expertise, and positions Canada … International demand for talent, especially from the USA, was putting Canada’s prior investments in AI research and talent development at risk. There has also been an explosion in training opportunities for young people interested in applying AI to advance social innovation, with programmes such as Mila and McGill University’s joint AI for Social Good Summer Lab and the University of British Columbia’s Data Science for Social Good Fellowship Program. A total of five superclusters were named in 2018. Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Create a National AI Strategy. CIFAR’s very first research programme in 1982 focused on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Society, so it was ahead of its time in its quest to understand machine intelligence and what it might mean for humanity. Brazil’s sectorial funds on a mission to boost innovation, European Union promoting soft power through science, Pacific islands embracing greater regionalism to accompany rapid change, Public–private partnerships helping to take public agendas forward. NITI Aayog after having round of consultations released a discussion paper on National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence on its website on 4th June 2018.