Canada expands AI strategy with safety measures
The expanded AI strategy includes CAD 50 million for the Canadian AI Safety Institute.
Canada will invest C$50 million to expand the Canadian AI Safety Institute as part of its new national AI strategy, with a focus on emerging AI risks, technical research and transparent evaluations of AI models.
The strategy, titled ‘AI for All’, says trustworthy AI infrastructure is necessary as AI capabilities grow and agentic AI systems become more widely adopted. According to the government, citizens, businesses, and public institutions need clearer ways to identify which AI systems are safe to use, how risks are assessed and what standards apply.
Canada also plans to work on AI transparency measures, including watermarking of AI-generated content, to help people understand when they are interacting with AI systems or AI-generated material. The government said such measures should support more informed choices about AI products and content.
The strategy also includes plans to create a Canada Trusted AI Certification programme to help users identify trustworthy AI products in the market. Canada will renew funding for the Standards Council of Canada’s AI Programme to support AI testing, certification, interoperability and participation in global standards work.
The AI strategy links safety measures with wider work on privacy, online harms and democratic resilience. The government says it will modernise consumer privacy legislation, introduce online safety laws and protect elections and democratic institutions from AI-enabled misinformation and foreign interference.
Canada also plans to accelerate applied AI research, testing and deployment with law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies in areas such as fraud and extortion prevention, cyber defence, threat detection and data protection.
Why does it matter?
Canada’s strategy treats AI safety not only as research, but as part of the infrastructure needed for adoption and public trust. Certification, model evaluation, watermarking and standards can shape how governments, businesses and citizens decide which AI systems to use. The strategy also shows how AI governance is expanding across privacy, online safety, cybersecurity, elections and national security, rather than remaining limited to innovation policy.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!