An Edmonton-based artificial intelligence company is now slated to become a player on the global stage for AI advancements as the federal government announces almost $29 million into resources and training for tech. Of that funding, $19.7 million will go toward research and commercialization of AI while $9 million will be put into programs that teach AI literacy. AI Minister Evan Solomon and Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu announced the funding in a Tuesday press conference. “It’s a hinge moment, and I liken it to the Gutenberg moment, the time of the printing press, where you have these transformational periods in history,” Solomon said. The Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, or Amii, will get around $19.7 million from the Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy. The money will be used, Solomon said, for computing power to propel Amii forward in their ability to reach customers and create new ways to revolutionize. He said it’s not a time where people can afford to swing too far one way on artificial intelligence. “We can’t be too pessimistic or optimistic. We have to be pragmatists,” he said. Edmonton, he continued, is one of three cities with the largest “pioneering” AI institutions in the country, alongside Vector in Toronto and Mila in Montreal. Amii began in 2002 as a joint effort between the provincial government and the University of Alberta. They also lead the federal initiative seeking to help almost 5,000 workers develop AI-related learning skills to safeguard their careers, said a release. It’s called AI Pathways: Energizing Canada’s Low-Carbon Workforce. An additional $9 million will go into the program, which aims to train workers in vulnerable sectors who are adapting to an AI-dominated market. Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said the reality of the workforce is that there are positive stories on how AI has made jobs easier. “If we don’t [tell those stories] then the fear persists, and people look towards solutions of banning AI, eliminating AI, trying to stop the use of AI,” she said. “Our economy is under attack … we are seeing entire industries being threatened,” Hajdu continued. “It’s a time to make sure our workers, no matter what sector they’re in, have absolutely cutting-edge skills, that they are able to compete, that they are able to innovate.” A media release said the first cohort for the lesson begins September of this year and will run until March 2028. Workers who complete the training receive a digital badge and certificate from Amii. Applications for the program are open. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Galen McDougall
