We just wrapped up a demonstration of some of the advanced manufacturing equipment here
at Magna, and for a geek like me, it’s hugely exciting. But I’m also excited to be able
to share with you today some more details about an investment we announced in our 2017
budget last week. As you’ve already heard me say, the budget
puts people first by focusing on what they need to feel confident about their future.
That’s why it stresses skills acquisition so that Canadians can get the training they
need to succeed in a rapidly evolving economy. And that’s why innovation is also at the
forefront of this budget. In the coming years, innovation will help create good jobs in emerging
industries and transform jobs in established sectors.
That means more well-paying jobs for today’s workers and even brighter opportunities for
our children and grandchildren. And one sector where science, innovation, opportunity and
employment growth come together is artificial intelligence, and in particular what
is known as deep artificial intelligence, or deep learning.
Deep AI, or deep learning, is an area of research that has the potential to truly transform
the way we live and work. That’s because artificial intelligence is what’s known
as a platform technology. In the same way that electricity revolutionized manufacturing
and the microprocessor reinvented how we gather, analyze, and communicate information, artificial
intelligence will cut across nearly every industry in Canada. It will shape the world
that our kids and our grandkids grow up in. And we can either be a part of that, help
steer its direction and take advantage of the good middle class jobs it will create,
or we can watch other countries step in. They’ll happily hire our best students and our hardest
workers. And why wouldn’t they? We are home to some of the world’s top talent when it
comes to artificial intelligence. But we can’t afford to lose that competitive advantage
and all the good jobs that come along with it.
But AI is more than just advanced manufacturing and self-driving cars, although those are
some of the cooler things it’s doing these days. There are many ways in which deep AI
can improve the quality of life of all Canadians. Systems based on this type of research have
been proven to be as accurate as trained medical doctors when it comes to identifying some
of the most common and most deadly forms of skin cancer, for example. And the potential
of AI really comes to light when you consider applications that can be used on mobile devices,
literally putting a world of research, centuries of learning and expertise and analysis in
your back pocket. Deep AI sounds futuristic, and it is. But
it’s also an area where Canada is recognized as a global leader especially in Montreal,
Toronto, and Edmonton. Thanks to the work of research scientists like Yoshua Bengio,
Geoff Hinton and Rich Sutton, in many ways Canada can be… Canadians are the pioneers
of AI. What we need to do now is make sure that we don’t lose out on the competitive
advantage that we already have. And that’s where last week’s budget comes
into play. Last week we announced plans to invest $125 million over the next five years
to build and support the deep AI research community here in Canada. That investment
will accomplish four key things. First, it will support AI institutes in the three cities
where deep AI already has a strong presence, here in the GTA, but also in Edmonton and
in Montreal where a strong and vibrant research community has grown to support AI and deep
learning; it will encourage more research by establishing deep AI chairs at Canadian
universities right across the country; it will support a national training program in
deep AI; and, fourth, it will encourage greater collaboration between researchers and the
broader communities including taking a critical look at the economic, social and policy implications
of deep AI. Like all areas of scientific research, the
quality of the work is determined by the quality of the people who are doing the work. These
investments will ensure that Canada is able to recruit, train, and most importantly retain
the top tier talent needed to secure Canada’s leadership in deep AI. And in the years to
come, we will see this leadership pay dividends in everything from manufacturing improvements,
to healthcare breakthroughs, to stronger and more sustained economic and job growth.
Over our 150-year history as a country, Canadians have never shied away from the challenges
facing them. Deep artificial intelligence is one such challenge, and I am convinced
that by seizing the opportunities that this sector presents, we can build an economy that
works for everyone and a better future for both Canada and the rest of the world.