CCC Series looks at automation not domination

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) is completing a series reports around Artificial Intelligence (AI).  In 2017, the federal government released its Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy which funds three centres of excellence in AI research and innovation in Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto. From 2017-2018 there was a 28% increase in the number of active AI-related start-ups in Canada.

Part of the series included roundtable events in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver to discuss issues and opportunities in relation to AI.   It includes an examination of:

1. AI and the Workforce
2. Legal and Regulatory Frameworks for AI
3. AI and Inclusion

The report on workforce identifies that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that 14% of jobs in OECD countries are already highly automatable, while another 32% will be radically transformed by technological progress.  Ensuring Canadian workers have the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed and prosper amid such widespread innovation is a crucial public policy priority.

Recommendations from the roundtable on workforce:
The Government of Canada should:

• Support training initiatives that help to upgrade and transfer existing skills. Canadian workers are already being asked to respond to changes in their workplaces that result from the deployment of AI solutions. To ensure they can do so successfully, enhanced resiliency will be essential. The government should encourage and fund initiatives that “up-skill” and “re-skill” workers in partnership with post-secondary institutions and/or technology firms. The government should also directly encourage employers to retrain and redeploy their existing employees by facilitating partnerships with post-secondary institutions and AI start-ups.
• Encourage AI “interfacers.” Canada’s workforce needs to have people capable of playing the role of an “interfacer” between AI technologists and business leaders. These “interfacers” may themselves be AI technologists who have business acumen. They may also be business people with technical knowledge. The government should ensure there is an adequate supply of Canadians with these skillsets. It can do so by supporting secondment opportunities and similar at-work training programs for those who currently work in business and AI sectors.
• Recognize the role of large tech companies in fostering the AI workforce. The government should encourage initiatives that involve large technology companies, or incentivize their participation, in local education and training programs such as co-op placements and part time work programs. These companies’ government-supported community contributions could also take the form of partnerships with local colleges and universities in research and recruitment — including by funding research and teaching positions at post-secondary institutions on a talent-sharing basis — as well as supporting local entrepreneurs through acquisitions and joint ventures.
• Continue to foster technology-centric urban hubs. The government should continue to invest in attracting and keeping key technology companies in Canada’s urban centres. For example, Canada should convene different orders of government to implement policies that help companies obtain the real estate and workforce they need to establish or expand their presence in Canada and hire Canadian workers.
• Focus on supporting local entrepreneurship. The government should support more training and skills development programs with a focus on business skills for entrepreneurship. The programs could be offered free of charge, online and on a flexible schedule to aspiring entrepreneurs
• Provide financial support to aspiring entrepreneurs. The government should provide more support to aspiring entrepreneurs, especially those in emerging and strategic industries such as AI. To do this, the government should consider allowing entrepreneurs to access part of their Employment Insurance benefits during the very early stages of their projects.
• Implement measures that promote living in Canada. The urban centres associated with the technology hubs should be promoted to AI workers as attractive work destinations. The government should partner with other orders of government to support the development of local infrastructure, promote accessibility to housing and fund cultural programs that make the hubs attractive to the global tech workforce. For example, well-developed public transit and a low cost of living will encourage workers to come and stay to work in Canada. The government should focus in particular on funding programs such as networking circles that provide opportunities to skilled technology workers to develop local connections. It should also continue to facilitate immigration pathways through initiatives such as the Global Talent Stream.

According to one forecast by the McKinsey Global Institute, AI could generate $13 trillion in additional global economic activity by 2030, representing an additional 1.2% growth in GDP. One of the challenges identified in the series is continuing to encourage AI as a way to enhance productivity in both rural and urban centres.

Read the Reports