In January 2018, CIFAR and the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship (BII+E) joined forces to establish a partnership focused on developing and hosting five AI Futures Policy Labs. These labs aimed to achieve two primary objectives: raising awareness about the long-term consequences of AI and building the capacity of emerging policy leaders to craft flexible AI policies in Canada. Between June and September 2018, CIFAR and BII+E organized two of these labs in Toronto, Ontario, and Edmonton, Alberta, engaging a total of 41 emerging policy leaders representing various sectors, including public, private, academic, and not-for-profit.
On October 18, 2018, BII+E and CIFAR conducted the third AI Futures Policy Lab in Vancouver, British Columbia. The event convened 22 emerging policy leaders from Vancouver and Victoria with the following objectives:
Enhancing the capacity of future leaders in the public service to comprehend the policy implications of AI.
Providing policymakers with an accurate understanding of the AI sector, its current capabilities, and potential applications, while dispelling myths and hype.
Stimulating early discussions on appropriate government responses to emerging AI technologies.