Carney launches 13-member national AI council

The council will provide independent, practical and timely expert advice on Canada’s AI transformation.[3] Its work will include advising on the evolution of AI for All, the national strategy launched in June.[3] The government says the council will address accelerating AI adoption, fostering national champions and building sovereign AI infrastructure.[3] Its advice will also cover making AI safer, protecting democracy and ensuring Canadians prosper from AI.[3] A small team within the Privy Council Office will support the council.[3]

The strategy aims to increase business AI adoption from 12 per cent to 60 per cent by 2034.[2] It also targets an additional $200 billion in economic growth and 250,000 new AI-related jobs over five years.[3] A separate aim is to provide up to 90,000 AI-related jobs and work-placement opportunities for young Canadians.[3] These targets describe the strategy’s ambitions, not outcomes already achieved.

The council brings together researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, public servants and international experts.[3] Valérie Pisano, CEO of Mila, is the only representative from Canada’s three national AI institutes, according to The Logic.[2] The domestic members are concentrated in Ontario and Quebec, while some Canadian executives and researchers on the council are based in the United States.[2]

The council is intended to connect public and private stakeholders and identify opportunities for coordinated action in support of AI for All.[3] But responsible ministers and departments will remain accountable for policy decisions and implementation.[3] The new council joins a landscape in which Ottawa has assembled several other private-sector groups to advise it on AI; none appears formally disbanded.[2] The Logic also reported that the updated group met once, in June 2025, for an introductory video conference.[2]