June 26, 2025 (Waterloo, Ontario) – The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), the Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) and the University of Waterloo have announced a new initiative to advance AI adoption across all sectors in Canada: The Canadian AI Adoption Initiative (CAIAI).
CAIAI brings together leading experts on AI adoption and public policy to provide recommendations to policy makers, including the federal government’s new minister of AI and digital innovation. The first AI adoption expert workshop was held on June 12, 2025.
“AI represents a historic opportunity to address the long-standing productivity crisis in Canada,” said Joël Blit, co-director of CAIAI, associate professor of economics at the University of Waterloo, and a senior fellow at CIGI. “This initiative aligns with a growing government focus on AI adoption and will provide policy makers advice on best practices and support in developing the metrics that track country-wide adoption.”
Among the priorities CAIAI’s expert workshop identified are recommendations to launch a data hub tracking AI adoption, equipping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with AI starter packs, and providing regulatory clarity to promote an environment conducive to AI investments.
“So far, the nation has invested heavily in AI research and should continue to do so, but most of the economic value generated by AI will come from integrating it throughout the economy, including in traditional sectors,” said Danielle Goldfarb, co-director of CAIAI, and a senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and at CIGI. “Canada needs to set an ambitious adoption target and advance AI adoption as a nation-building exercise.”
The recommendations can be found below and online at aiadoption.ca.
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Noel Gruber
Director of Public Affairs
Centre for International Governance Innovation
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 519-885-2444 ext. 7514