Ensuring the safe and responsible use of AI systems is a top priority for the Government of Canada, with experts highlighting evolving risks, including the potential for their misuse in disinformation campaigns, cybersecurity breaches and election interference.
In response, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced the launch of the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (CAISI) that will bolster Canada’s capacity to address AI safety risks.
“The Canadian Institute for Artificial Intelligence Security will propel Canada to the forefront of global efforts to use AI responsibly, and will be key in building public trust in AI technologies. In a world that’s evolving quickly and full of unknowns, Canadians can be confident that we will always take the necessary steps to ensure the AI they use is safe, responsible, and trustworthy,” Minister Champagne stated.
The Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (CAISI) will have an initial budget of $50 million over five years, and housed within Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED Canada).
Leveraging Research and International Collaboration
CAISI will leverage Canada’s world-leading AI research ecosystem and talent base to advance the understanding of risks associated with advanced AI systems and to drive the development of measures to address those risks.
Notably, between 2022 and 2023, there were over 140,000 actively engaged AI professionals in Canada. Canada is home to 10% of the world’s top-tier AI researchers, ranking second globally.
With this in mind, CAISI will leverage existing expertise at the National Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), and Canada’s three national AI institutes—Amii in Edmonton, Mila in Montréal and the Vector Institute in Toronto. This will engage the broader Canadian research and business community in undertaking projects to test systems as well as assess and develop guidance on addressing the risks.
“The rapid development of frontier AI models makes substantial investment in AI safety research essential. We must notably develop strong safety guarantees for these models, both to mitigate risks and help reap the social and economic benefits of AI. The creation of the Canadian AI Safety Institute is an important step in this direction and demonstrates Canada’s ongoing commitment to the responsible development of AI,” commented Yoshua Bengio, Full Professor at Université de Montréal, Founder and Scientific Director of Mila – Quebec AI Institute, and Canada CIFAR AI Chair.
CAISI will conduct research under two streams: applied research, investigator-led studies, and government-directed projects. Building on Canada’s commitment to international collaboration through the Bletchley Declaration, CAISI will also collaborate with safety institutes in other jurisdictions.
CAISI’s creation complements a suite of measures by the government that aim to collectively support AI development and adoption in Canada, while also protecting Canadians against risks associated with the technology. These include the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act and the Voluntary Code of Conduct on the Responsible Development and Management of Advanced Generative AI Systems.
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