The Government of Canada recognizes artificial intelligence (AI) as a critical driver of the country’s future prosperity, security, and global leadership. To harness its benefits, Canada is investing in scaling up its AI ecosystem, building robust infrastructure, fostering the adoption of AI systems, and strengthening public trust in AI technologies. The government emphasizes that these efforts must be rooted in safety and responsibility to ensure the technology serves all Canadians.
As part of this commitment, Canada is contributing $1 million through the Canadian AI Safety Institute (CAISI), managed by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), to support the UK AI Security Institute’s Alignment Project. This initiative is at the forefront of AI alignment research, focusing on ensuring that advanced AI systems behave in ways that are reliable, predictable, and beneficial, avoiding harmful outcomes. The Alignment Project is supported by a global coalition with a total investment of CAN$29 million, including partners such as Schmidt Sciences, Amazon Web Services, Halcyon Futures, the Safe AI Fund, and the Advanced Research and Invention Agency.
The Alignment Project is designed to address longstanding barriers in AI alignment research by offering three forms of support: grant funding for multidisciplinary research, access to high-performance computing resources for advanced experiments, and venture capital to promote commercial solutions. A prestigious advisory board—featuring renowned experts such as Canadian AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio—will guide the initiative.
Established in November 2024, CAISI focuses on advancing the scientific understanding of risks associated with advanced AI and developing tools to mitigate these risks. It collaborates globally, including with the UK AI Security Institute, to ensure a coordinated response to emerging AI safety challenges.
CAISI’s research is supported through both investigator-led initiatives via CIFAR and government-directed projects led by the National Research Council of Canada. CIFAR, a prominent Canadian research body, convenes interdisciplinary experts to tackle complex global challenges.
Beyond this investment, the Canadian government has launched several measures to support safe AI development and use, such as the Voluntary Code of Conduct for the development of advanced generative AI and practical guides to help organizations implement responsible AI practices.
