Provincial AI strategy could protect residents, scale Sask. workforce: advocates

As Canada works to implement a national strategy around artificial intelligence, announced earlier this month, advocates in Saskatchewan say a provincial version could help, too.

The federal government unveiled Canada’s new AI strategy on June 4, centred around scaling and securing the sector, with six “pillars” of focus.

Alex Fallon, founder of Artificial Intelligence Saskatchewan (AiSK), is welcoming the federal strategy, saying it provides clarity and certainty to the industry and academics.

“And now the province can kind of look at that and ask, ‘How do we align to it? How does industry benefit from that strategy?” Fallon said in an interview.

While provinces such as Ontario and Alberta have frameworks around their approaches to AI, Saskatchewan does not — something advocates say could help protect jobs and scale the workforce.

“Government supporting the tech sector is absolutely key to keeping our talent here and helping to attract talent and then really supporting startups and medium-sized companies to grow,” said Fallon.

In a statement to Global News, Innovation Saskatchewan’s CEO says the province supports AI adoption and is helping businesses do so safely.

“Saskatchewan is taking a responsible and coordinated approach to AI adoption, supporting practical use across government and our economy,” said Kari Harvey.

“Through collaboration with ecosystem partners, we are supporting AI literacy and helping deliver practical learning opportunities so Saskatchewan businesses can adopt AI safely and in ways that match their size, capacity and business needs.”

Support for companies using AI is a sentiment shared by Phillip Harder, VP of Data Science at Croptimistic, a Saskatoon-based agriculture technology company helping farmers map their soil.

“There’s a lot of hype that’s gone into AI, and it becomes a silver bullet, but it’s just the reality that it’s another tool, right? And we still need to learn how to use it,” said Harder, noting the costs of integrating the technology into businesses.

Croptimistic was given a nod by AI Minister Evan Solomon in his opening address in the strategy, something Harder said was unexpected and humbling for him and his colleagues.

“We hear about these strategies and all these things, and then all of a sudden we’re in the second paragraph being mentioned as one of the AI innovators in agriculture.”

The company is not alone in its usage of AI, with opportunities and interest growing around the province, especially in industries the province already excels in.

“I think the real opportunity for AI in Saskatchewan is how we apply it to our key sectors. So, using AI in mining operations, in farming, agriculture, and manufacturing, I think that’ll be a strength where Saskatchewan can play in the AI space,” said Fallon.

As interest in the technology grows, Saskatchewan’s privacy commissioner says a provincial strategy could also help protect residents from concerns such as deepfakes and facial recognition.

“Without a lot of guidance and a lot of thought as to how it’s adapted, it can really turn into a massive surveillance technique,” Grace Hession David, Saskatchewan’s information and privacy commissioner, told Global News in an interview.

Hession David says the best way for people to protect themselves from AI at this time is through education.

“We all have to admit AI is here and it’s going to be the way of the future, there’s no going back from it. But we have to really be aware of it. We have to understand it as best we can. And we have know how to approach it,” she said.

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