Canada funds 10,000 AI work placements through Mitacs

The Canadian government has committed up to CAD $162 million for 10,000 artificial intelligence-related work placements through Mitacs as part of the country's national AI strategy.

Running over five years, the programme will support post-secondary students, recent graduates and post-doctoral fellows working with Canadian businesses on AI adoption and innovation projects. The placements will be co-funded and paid, focusing on connecting young workers and academic researchers with companies that need help introducing AI tools or developing new applications.

Mitacs AI Advantage will deliver the investment through two streams. One, known as ADOPT, is designed to help companies test and introduce AI across their operations. The other, AI+X, focuses on research placements and collaborations that apply AI to business problems and new technologies in fields including agriculture and healthcare.

The move sits within Canada's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, known as AI for All, launched earlier this year. Under the strategy, the federal government aims to create up to 90,000 AI-related jobs and work placement opportunities for young Canadians by 2031.

The latest funding underlines Ottawa's effort to address two issues at once: building a domestic pipeline of AI-skilled workers and helping businesses, particularly smaller companies, make practical use of the technology. Many small and medium-sized enterprises see AI's potential but lack the in-house skills, staffing and support needed to introduce it.

Mitacs, which specialises in business-academic research links, has a national network that includes more than 200 post-secondary institutions, 170 innovation incubators and 12,500 companies. Since 2020, it has supported more than 4,200 AI-related innovation projects, including work with companies in language learning, surgical patient monitoring and intelligent radio systems.

The announcement also adds to a wider federal push on AI skills and public readiness. Earlier this month, the government launched a National AI Literacy Initiative with Amii to help Canadians understand AI, use it responsibly and participate in an economy where the technology is becoming more common.

Talent pipeline

The new placements are intended to give young Canadians direct work experience in AI while allowing employers to draw on academic expertise that might otherwise be out of reach. The approach reflects a long-standing challenge in Canada's innovation policy: turning strong university research and technical talent into broader commercial use across the economy.

For businesses, the placements offer a way to explore AI projects without bearing the full cost of hiring specialised staff. For students and graduates, they provide paid experience that could improve access to a labour market where employers are increasingly seeking data, software and AI-related skills.

Officials said the placements would support both adoption and commercialisation. In practice, that means some participants will work on introducing existing AI systems into business processes, while others will take part in research and development aimed at creating new products or services.

The programme's design also points to a sector-agnostic approach. By including areas such as agriculture and healthcare, the government is signalling that it sees AI as a general-purpose technology rather than one limited to software companies or large technology groups.

Government comments

Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, made the announcement.

"AI is changing the way we work and creating new opportunities across our economy. We want young Canadians to have the skills and real-world experience they need to seize those opportunities. By creating 10,000 AI-related work placements through Mitacs, we are investing in Canadian talent while helping businesses adopt AI, boost productivity and compete. This is how we make sure the opportunities created by AI translate into good jobs and a stronger economy for Canadians," said Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

Mitacs said the scheme would place young researchers and skilled workers directly inside businesses.

"Through Mitacs AI Advantage, we're embedding young, highly skilled Canadians directly into businesses, giving them real-world work experience with responsible AI while helping our small and medium-sized enterprises adopt AI, innovate and compete with confidence. This is how we build the workforce of the future and a stronger Canadian economy," said Dr Stephen Lucas, CEO, Mitacs.