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Spotlight on AI for SMEs

AIEntrepreneurshipPolicyTechTech Adoption
Published on
Claudia Krywiak / President & CEO - OCE
Jodie Wallis / Managing Director, Artificial Intelligence - Accenture
Ali Hirji / Project Manager - The AI Hub at Durham College
Joe Ritacca / Director of R&D - Precise ParkLink

Canada is recognized as a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) research and development. But we’re not performing as well in terms of our ability to translate those innovations into real-world applications that improve our SMEs’ performance and competitiveness. This Spotlight explores what policies, business strategies and industry-academia partnerships must be implemented to drive AI adoption among Canada’s SMEs since their individual success is crucial to our collective success in the future economy.

Listen to the Podcast:

Key Takeaways & Calls to Action

  1. Canada is a research and talent leader in the AI space. However, Canada must put greater emphasis on the commercialization and adoption of AI technologies, rather than focusing solely on R&D.
  2. Canadian government must do three things to support AI adoption: create certainty through specific AI regulations, split the funding mix to focus on AI implementations rather than solely on fundamental research, and lead by example by employing AI in more governmental operations.
  3. Collaboration with academia gives companies access to student and faculty talent – more importantly, it gives companies a cost-effective R&D base to begin their work in AI.
  4. Government and industry need to collaborate with Canadian academic institutions to further develop their AI research by creating avenues for AI students to participate in industry.
Read the Experts’ Full Interviews:
The Public Catalyst Claudia Krywiak President & CEO - OCE "Unless we move beyond a focus solely on AI research, Canada might end up providing research and AI talent that drives other countries’ growth, without realizing the economic benefits locally." The Consultant Jodie Wallis Managing Director, Artificial Intelligence - Accenture "The goal is to use AI to change the way we work. We need to work smarter, better and more effectively within Canadian organizations to produce economic and social benefits that could not have been achieved without AI." The Academic Ali Hirji Project Manager - The AI Hub at Durham College "There is a fantastic opportunity for academia and industry to liaise with each other directly and learn together on how to develop, deploy, and share AI prototypes." The AI Adopter Joe Ritacca Director of R&D - Precise ParkLink "Smaller companies should go ahead and try to get AI resources and employees from the school level."
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