OTTAWA, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Canadian federal government on Tuesday announced the launch of the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (CAISI) to bolster the country's capacity to address AI safety risks.
CAISI will advance the understanding of risks associated with advanced AI systems and drive the development of measures to address those risks, said Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada in a press release.
According to the release, CAISI will leverage existing expertise at the National Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Canada's three national AI institutes -- Amii in Edmonton, Mila in Montreal and the Vector Institute in Toronto -- and engage the broader Canadian research and business community in undertaking projects to assess risks, test systems and develop guidance on addressing the risks.
Canada has 10 percent of the world's top-tier AI researchers, the second most in the world, the release said, adding that in 2022-23, there were over 140,000 actively engaged AI professionals in Canada, an increase of 29 percent compared to the previous year.
In 2022, the Canadian AI sector, with more than 670 start-ups and 30 generative AI companies, attracted over 8.6 billion Canadian dollars (6.2 billion U.S. dollars) in venture capital, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all venture capital activity in Canada.
The number of AI patents filed by Canadian inventors increased by 57 percent in 2022-23 compared to the previous year, nearly three times the G7 average over the same period, the release said. ■
