Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has issued a stark warning that foreign artificial intelligence platforms could be weaponised against Canadian citizens. Unveiling his government's new AI strategy, Carney highlighted Canada's heavy reliance on international suppliers for AI technology, which he described as 'the defining technology of our era'.
Carney noted that most data used by AI platforms crosses international borders, creating risks that foreign entities could access Canadian data and deploy AI products that shape Canadian lives without reflecting Canadian values. He warned that this could 'tilt the playing field against Canadian firms — while Canada lacks the leverage to push back or the ability to control'.
The government's strategy document states that 'AI is a game of scale that is dominated by hegemons and hyperscalers', posing a significant security and economic challenge as countries risk becoming subordinate or reliant on them. In response, Canada aims to lead a coalition of aligned democracies to offer a credible alternative to dominant market actors.
Carney announced plans to introduce legislation to bolster data and privacy protections, and to develop a world-leading public AI supercomputer. The strategy acknowledges that Canadian researchers train models on foreign cloud platforms and that government operations rely on infrastructure Canada does not own. To mitigate risks, the federal government will build key sovereign capabilities domestically whenever possible.
Addressing a 'major adoption gap', Carney committed to offering AI training to Canadians through a literacy initiative in schools and community centres. Free AI learning kits will help Canadians identify bias and misinformation. Carney noted that only 12% of Canadian businesses currently use AI, a figure even lower among small and medium-sized enterprises.
