By rdnewsNOW Staff

Alberta

Province announces funding boosts Alberta’s AI advantage

Mar 24, 2023 | 5:32 PM

Alberta’s government says it is strengthening the province’s position as a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and growing the technology and innovation talent pool.

Government officials say Alberta’s technology and innovation sector is growing and further diversifying the province’s economy. Through strategic investments, Alberta’s government says it is enhancing Alberta’s reputation as a leader in this industry.

According to provincial officials, supporting Amii (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) through Alberta Innovates with a $30-million investment will build Alberta’s AI talent pipeline and accelerate research.

“Alberta is a world leader in artificial intelligence research and commercialization. Our continued funding for Amii will attract investment and create jobs in our fast-growing tech sector,” says Nate Glubish, Minister of Technology and Innovation.

The government says AI continues to transform businesses and our daily lives. Officials say AI can provide smart solutions that can be applied to key sectors of Alberta’s economy, attract investment in diverse industries and create good-paying jobs. From agriculture to logistics, health care and life sciences to supply chain management, data analysis to education and more, officials say AI can open the doors to the art of the possible.

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The government says this investment solidifies the province’s place as a leader in AI and in developing new and emerging technologies that solve the world’s latest challenges.

“This announcement is a huge vote of confidence in the work Amii is doing to expand Alberta’s AI capacity and build on its global AI leadership,” adds Cam Linke, CEO, Amii.

“This funding builds on our long-standing support and partnership with AI researchers at the University of Alberta and Amii. Together we are creating powerful tools to allow Alberta businesses to compete across sectors and take advantage of a $16-trillion market opportunity,” states Laura Kilcrease, CEO, Alberta Innovates.

In 2021, provincial officials say Alberta’s government released the Alberta Technology and Innovation Strategy to cement Alberta as a dominant player and internationally recognized technology and investment hub. Funding to Amii through Alberta Innovates is said to be an important part of achieving the plan’s strategic goals.

Alberta government quick facts

· Alberta has a long, proud history of artificial intelligence and machine learning development and research.

o Amii is one of three national AI institutes in Canada.

o Alberta’s government established GovLab.AI in partnership with AltaML to solve real-world problems and deliver better, faster, smarter services to Albertans.

o For the past 25 years, the University of Alberta has ranked third in the world for AI research and machine learning.

o The University of Alberta was the first university in Canada to create a stand-alone computing sciences department, from which Amii is a spinoff.

o In January, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research provided $30 million for 20 research chairs at the University of Alberta and Amii to support AI research as part of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy.

o It is estimated AI will add $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030.

· There are opportunities for AI applications across sectors of the economy, including health care, logistics and supply chain management, energy, education, agriculture and infrastructure management.