Carney forms AI advisory council
Prime Minister Mark Carney has named a 13-person National Council on Artificial Intelligence to advise the federal government on its national AI strategy and safety issues. The council includes prominent AI researchers and investors, such as LawZero scientific director Yoshua Bengio and Veeda AI CEO Sanja Fidler.
The council will advise Carney and the federal government on issues including economic competitiveness, AI uptake, digital infrastructure, and AI research. Patrick Pichette, the former venture capitalist and tech executive, is among the members.
National AI Strategy
Ottawa launched an updated national AI strategy in June, setting a target of increasing business adoption from 12 per cent to 60 per cent by 2034. The government has pledged hundreds of millions of dollars for startups developing the technology and firms deploying it.
The new advisory council includes Jordan Jacobs, managing partner of Toronto-based Radical Ventures, which is raising a US$4-billion late-stage fund. Another member is John Graham, CEO of the $863-billion Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
Council Members
The council also includes Canadian business executives and researchers based in the U.S. The domestic members are concentrated in Ontario and Quebec. Of the three national AI institutes, only Montreal-based Mila has a seat on the council, via CEO Valérie Pisano.
Thomas Pitfield, Carney’s principal secretary, is another member. He said at an event hosted by Canada 2020, a think tank he previously co-founded, that Ottawa’s AI strategy outlines “a shared mission” to adopt AI and trust each other to become a powerhouse in the space.
Previous Advisory Groups
Ottawa has assembled several other groups of private sector leaders to advise it on AI in recent years. In September 2025, AI Minister Evan Solomon named a 28-member task force to provide input on the AI strategy update. Council members who were also on the task force include Pichette and Ajay Agrawal.
The Innovation Department also has had an Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence since 2019. In March 2025, the department refreshed the council with a stronger industry focus, including executives from Cohere, AltaML, and Canadian Tire.
Full Council Membership
The full, 13-person National Council on Artificial Intelligence includes Ajay Agrawal, Yoshua Bengio, Sanja Fidler, John Graham, Gillian Hadfield, Jordan Jacobs, Eric Lamarre, and Patrick Pichette. The council will play a significant role in shaping Canada’s national AI strategy and ensuring the safe and secure development of AI technology.
