By: Justine Brooks
5 Mar, 2025
Looking ahead: the future of AI in Canada
March 5, 2025
Elissa Strome, Executive Director of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy at CIFAR reflects on eight successful years
The Pan-Canadian AI Strategy was established in 2017 as part of a government initiative to invest in AI research and talent. As part of this initiative, CIFAR was tasked with leading its implementation in collaboration with three national AI institutes: Amii in Edmonton, Mila in Montréal and the Vector Institute in Toronto, which were launched as part of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy.
While the Strategy initially focused on talent and ecosystems, in phase two it expanded to include commercialization and investments in compute infrastructure. Most recently, a new research program focused on AI safety was added to the portfolio. Now in its eighth year, Elissa Strome, Executive Director of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy at CIFAR, reflects on the origins and accomplishments of the Strategy, and looks ahead to what’s next for AI in Canada.
CIFAR: When you first set out as Executive Director of the Strategy, what did you hope to achieve? How has that evolved since 2018?
Strome: When I joined CIFAR, I knew that Canada was a world leader in AI research, and that we had a strong, decades-long track record for advancing the field. But I also knew that people with AI skills and expertise were in demand all over the world and that the demand was growing. I wanted to help build a rich, dynamic and robust AI research community in Canada, retaining the amazing researchers that we already had here and attracting the brightest minds from around the world. The potential for AI to have a positive impact on areas that really matter to society (health, environment, education) was just starting to be understood in 2018, and I knew that both fundamental and applied Canadian science could contribute to the realization of that potential. We have come a very long way since 2018, especially with the advent of generative AI. At the same time, as AI systems have become more advanced, we are starting to understand that there are significant risks associated with the most powerful AI systems. While we continue our work to support fundamental and applied AI across a range of topics, understanding AI safety has become a new area of focus.
CIFAR: Why is it important to focus on talent and research? Isn’t commercialization and industry innovation also important to Canada’s leadership in AI?
Strome: As a highly innovative and fast-paced science-based technology, the greatest value in any AI ecosystem are the people. AI is a field that is driven forward by new ideas. Great ideas arise when talented people have the freedom and resources to experiment and other talented people to collaborate with. This then attracts other leaders in the field and Canada has excelled in top-tier talent attraction, ranking third in the world for the largest pool of AI researchers whose work is in the top 0.5% of citations. Together, our efforts towards development, attraction and retention have resulted in 38 percent average growth in Canada’s cohort of AI talent each year since 2018, outpacing the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy. Canada has one of the richest pools of talented individuals with AI skills and expertise in the world. These people are where the true value of Canada’s AI ecosystem lies.
CIFAR: Are there any research projects that Canada CIFAR AI Chairs are working on that you are particularly excited about?
Strome: There are a few I’m really excited and hopeful about for their impact potential. One of them is the BIOSCAN project that three of our Canada CIFAR AI Chairs are working on. Graham Taylor (Vector Institute), Angel Chang (Amii) and David Rolnick (Mila) are using machine learning to monitor insect populations and protect biodiversity around the world. This is part of a larger global collaboration but really highlights the potential for AI to contribute solutions across disciplines.
Another project I’m excited about is Audrey Durand’s (Mila) work on using reinforcement learning to identify dangerous drug interactions. This research has the potential to mitigate adverse health outcomes, especially for some of our most vulnerable populations like the elderly, who often take multiple medications.
CIFAR: AI safety is a buzzword in the field right now. What is Canada doing about AI safety that is unique from other nations?
Strome: Under the new Canadian AI Safety Institute (CAISI) Research Program at CIFAR, we are bringing together a community of researchers across disciplines to advance our understanding of AI safety. CAISI is an initiative led by the federal government and is part of the international network of AI Safety Institutes. While other countries are advancing their AI safety work solely within government, the work we are doing with the CIFAR research community is complementary to the work being done inside the government and is designed to leverage expertise on technical and social impact across the country to contribute new insights on AI safety and support the government in advancing policy and international cooperation.
What are some of the biggest impacts the Strategy has made over the past five years?
Strome: Our focus on attracting and retaining talent has made a great impact on the AI research ecosystem in Canada. We now have over 130 Canada CIFAR AI Chairs who make up one of the richest AI research clusters in the world. We also rank second in the world for the number of AI research papers published per capita. In terms of the AI industry in Canada, we have supported a vibrant and thriving startup ecosystem, sitting at fifth in the world for the number of AI startups. Some of these companies have been founded by people who participated in our annual Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning Summer School, were trained by one of our Canada CIFAR AI Chairs or are affiliated with other CIFAR programs such as Learning in Machines & Brains, like Raquel Urtasun, founder of self-driving start-up Waabi or Alex Cui, co-founder of GPTZero.
CIFAR: How can Canada’s leadership and legacy in AI continue to grow, and what is CIFAR’s contribution?
I think great research and great talent will remain Canada’s biggest AI contribution to the world for years to come and CIFAR will continue to bring the best people together to advance responsible, safe and trustworthy AI in areas that will benefit Canada and the world.
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