Government Of Canada’s 2024 Budget Bets Big On AI

On April 16, 2024, the Government of Canada released its budget titled “Budget 2024: Fairness for Every Generation” (Budget 2024), which includes substantial financial investment in artificial intelligence (AI) with the goal of boosting innovation, raising productivity and accelerating economic growth to secure Canada’s AI advantage. The federal government announced a $2.4 billion investment package in support of various AI targeted actions, including:

• $2 billion over five years to launch a new AI Compute Access Fund to support researchers and start-ups with accessing computing capabilities and technological infrastructure;
• $200 million over five years to support AI start-ups to bring new technologies to market in critical sectors, such as agriculture, clean technology, health care and manufacturing;
• $100 million over five years for the National Research Council’s AI Assist Program to help small- and medium-sized businesses build and deploy new AI solutions;
• $50 million over five years to create a new Canadian AI Safety Institute to ensure the safe development and deployment of AI;
• $50 million over four years to support workers who may be impacted by AI (e.g. creative industries); and
• $5.1 million to equip the AI and Data Commissioner Office with resources to begin enforcing the proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act.

Other intellectual property (IP) and technology measures proposed in Budget 2024 include:

• $14.5 million over two years for the Innovation Asset Collective organization to provide small- and medium-sized clean tech businesses with specialized IP support;
• $725 million to allow qualifying businesses to write off the full cost of investments in patents, data network infrastructure equipment, computers, and other data processing equipment;
• advancing the right to repair and interoperability through amendments to the Copyright Act to (i) help achieve interoperability between devices and equipment; and (ii) allow the circumvention of digital locks to diagnose, maintain, or repair a product; and
• $9.6 million over three years to the Courts Administration Service to deliver translated federal court decisions to enhance access to justice in both official languages.

Summary By: Anna Troshchynsky