Carney names 13 to new national AI council

Prime Minister Mark Carney has named 13 people to a new National Council on Artificial Intelligence to advise the federal government on how to deploy the technology, the Prime Minister’s Office announced Friday, Oct. 2.

The council includes AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio, University of Toronto computer science professor Sanja Fidler, Radical Ventures co-founder Jordan Jacobs and Gillian Hadfield, a Johns Hopkins University professor who studies AI alignment and governance. Other members are economist Ajay Agrawal, Valérie Pisano, Michelle Zatlyn, John Graham, Eric Lamarre, Louis Vachon, former national security adviser Jody Thomas and Sen. Thomas Pitfield, Carney’s former principal secretary, according to BetaKit and Lexpert. Patrick Pichette sits as an ex officio member, Lexpert reported.

The PMO said the council will provide “independent, practical advice on Canada’s AI transformation.” Lexpert reported that its remit includes AI safety, protecting democracy and making sure Canadians benefit from the technology, as well as helping carry out and update the AI for All strategy the government released in June.

That strategy aims to speed AI adoption, foster national champions and build sovereign AI infrastructure, according to BetaKit. Lexpert reported targets of about $200 billion in added economic growth and 250,000 new AI-related jobs over five years, and a rise in AI adoption from roughly 12 per cent to 60 per cent by 2034.

CFJC Today reported that the PMO said Carney will “play an active role in setting the council’s agenda” and quoted a PMO statement that “the prime minister recognizes that government action must match the speed of AI.”

The announcement adds to a growing list of AI advisory bodies. CFJC Today described the council as at least the fourth AI-focused advisory council appointed by the Liberal government. An AI and labour council, made up largely of unions including Unifor and CUPE, held its first meeting Monday with AI Minister Evan Solomon, and an AI and culture council was launched in March, the outlet reported. Innovation Canada also has its own advisory council, which a spokesperson said focuses more on technical advice to the minister.

The sources reviewed do not say who will chair the new council, how often it will meet or whether it has its own budget. Lexpert reported that a small team in the Privy Council Office will support it, and that responsible ministers and departments remain accountable for policy decisions and their implementation.

For Canadian businesses and researchers, the practical effect will depend on whether the council’s advice shapes funding and procurement decisions under the June strategy. The government has said it will review and update the strategy as AI opportunities and risks change, BetaKit reported, which gives the council a channel to influence that work. No timeline for reports or recommendations has been published in the coverage reviewed.

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Via BetaKit, Lexpert and CFJC Today.