U.S. supports Canada's AI goals, seeks partnership

The U.S. government supports countries like Canada developing their own sovereign artificial intelligence strategies, as long as these initiatives do not compromise access to the best technology, an American official stated Friday. These remarks were made during a briefing call with reporters hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, focusing on how the U.S. and Canada are aligning and seeking further partnerships in AI.

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The U.S. government is generally supportive of countries like Canada pursuing their own sovereign artificial intelligence strategies, so long as it’s not at the expense of “the best technology,” an American official said Friday.

"I see no issue with Canada promoting Canadian companies," said the U.S. Embassy official, speaking on background. "This is the same principle that we see in the American AI export plan. The challenge is when that push comes at the expense of the best technology. In niches where Canadian firms are the world-leading technology, they should be selling around the world. And where there are stronger U.S. firms or technologies, we think that we should be partnering up as trusted allies and selling our technology together around the world."

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I see no issue with Canada promoting Canadian companies. This is the same principle that we see in the American AI export plan. The challenge is when that push comes at the expense of the best technology.

The official pointed to existing collaboration areas between the U.S. and Canada, such as export controls aimed at preventing the theft of technology and intellectual property by other nations. Countering Chinese influence, particularly within international governance bodies, to prevent Beijing from dictating AI use by sovereign nations, is another growing area of cooperation. However, the briefing also revealed significant differences in their approaches, especially concerning trust and safety.

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The AI firms are best suited to identify the needs that consumers really care about, and then respond to those needs. That’s innovation at its basis.

While Canada is pursuing new legislation to address concerns like privacy and online harms, potentially imposing heavy fines on non-compliant AI companies, the U.S. official indicated a preference for companies to self-regulate. "The AI firms are best suited to identify the needs that consumers really care about, and then respond to those needs," the official said. "That’s innovation at its basis." This approach extends to companies working with communities on large data center projects, addressing concerns about water use, electricity prices, and sound pollution. The official clarified that "pro-innovation regulation does not mean no regulation. It means flexible, risk-based approaches that can adapt to match the speeds that AI is moving at."

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pro-innovation regulation does not mean no regulation. It means flexible, risk-based approaches that can adapt to match the speeds that AI is moving at.