- A study from the University of Toronto suggests that many Canadian federal agencies are significantly dependent on US companies to deploy AI.
- The research analyzed the government’s AI registry, noting over 400 AI systems currently in use or planned for deployment.
- According to author Dipto Das, there is a discrepancy between the government’s AI messaging and how AI is actually implemented in practice.
- Some agencies use entirely in-house developed AI, while many others rely on Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google.
- At the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), 3 out of 4 AI systems were developed by Microsoft.
- The study raises questions about data security, technological control, and the use of public funds to maintain infrastructure provided by foreign enterprises.
- The author argues that the results reflect Canada’s lack of investment in building technological sovereignty within the public sector.
- Some departments, including the Department of National Defence, have developed all of their registered AI systems internally.
- The national AI strategy announced in June aims to accelerate the procurement and deployment of AI within the federal government.
- The government asserts that AI will help reduce administrative burdens for civil servants, while humans maintain the role of final decision-makers.
- The strategy also reaffirms the plan to establish a Digital Transformation Office, though the agency has not yet been formed.
- At the time of the study, the registry contained 409 AI systems, a number that has since increased to 412.
- Approximately 86% of the AI systems serve internal operations of state agencies rather than providing direct services to citizens.
- The study notes that the data is based on public information and may not fully reflect the state of AI deployment within the government.
📌 Research shows that Canada is expanding AI applications in the public sector but remains significantly dependent on US tech providers like Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google. Of more than 400 announced AI systems, most serve internal government operations. The authors suggest that Canada needs to increase investment in domestic technological capacity to reduce dependence, while enhancing transparency and control as AI increasingly participates in the operations of the state apparatus.
