Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney issued a stark warning on Thursday, cautioning that foreign artificial intelligence platforms could be weaponized against Canadian citizens.
Unveiling his government’s new AI strategy, Carney underscored Canada’s significant reliance on international suppliers for what he described as the defining technology of our era.
The Prime Minister, who previously warned at the World Economic Forum in Davos about global hegemons like the United States using economic integration to pressure smaller nations, highlighted that most data utilized by AI platforms crosses international borders.
This reliance, he said, mirrors other forms of economic integration, such as supply chains, which could be exploited.
"That creates real risks that foreign entities could access Canadian data, deploy AI products that shape Canadian lives without reflecting our values," Carney stated.
He added that such a scenario 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 reinforces this concern, noting that "AI is a game of scale that is dominated by hegemons and hyperscalers." It warns that this "poses a significant security and economic challenge as countries around the globe risk becoming subordinate or reliant on them."
In response, Canada aims to lead other "middle powers" and like-minded countries in navigating this new technological landscape. The strategy proposes that "a coalition of aligned democracies, who pool research, talent, compute and procurement power, would offer a credible alternative to the dominant market actors that increasingly define the global AI landscape."
Carney announced that his government plans to introduce legislation to bolster data and privacy protections. Additionally, Canada will develop a world-leading public AI supercomputer.
The strategy acknowledges that "Canadian researchers train models on foreign cloud platforms. Canadian companies store sensitive data in foreign jurisdictions. Government operations rely on infrastructure Canada does not own."
To mitigate these risks, the federal government intends to "build its key sovereign capabilities domestically whenever possible, while partnering with trusted allies or buying existing market solutions when appropriate."
Addressing a "major adoption gap," the Prime Minister committed to offering artificial intelligence training to Canadians through a literacy initiative in schools and community centers.
He stated that free AI learning kits, including courses, "will help Canadians to identify bias and misinformation — and give them the AI tools to learn and help with their careers."
Carney noted that Canada ranks near the bottom globally in AI training, literacy, and trust, with only 12% of Canadian businesses currently utilizing AI, a figure even lower among small and medium-sized enterprises.
