Key facts
- The EU and Canada are forming an AI "tech alliance" to compete with the U.S. and China.
- The alliance aims to set global standards for AI development and regulation.
- Canadian AI firm Cohere is merging with German AI firm Aleph Alpha in a deal valued at $20 billion.
- Canadian AI expert Yoshua Bengio was a key architect of the EU's AI rules.
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney proposed cooperation on AI safety and pooling compute power.
- The EU and Canada signed a memorandum of understanding to accelerate AI adoption and foster responsible development.
The European Union and Canada are strengthening their collaboration on artificial intelligence, aiming to create a significant bloc that can rival the AI development and regulatory influence of the United States and China. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney have both publicly championed this burgeoning "tech alliance."
Carney, in a speech to the European Parliament, called for the two sides to "join forces" on AI safety and the pooling of compute power. This initiative aligns with Carney's broader "middle powers" pitch, which advocates for countries like the EU and Canada to unite to counter the dominance of the U.S. and China in critical technological areas.
Both regions acknowledge they lag behind the U.S. and China in AI development and compute capacity, which limits their ability to shape global AI governance. By working together, Brussels and Ottawa hope to establish a leadership position in both the creation and oversight of this powerful technology.
Key figures like Canadian AI expert Yoshua Bengio, who played a role in drafting the EU's AI rules, emphasize that this cooperation is vital for "safeguarding our shared sovereignty." The EU and Canada have already signed a memorandum of understanding to foster AI adoption and responsible development, covering areas such as AI standards, skills development, and scientific collaboration.
A concrete manifestation of this partnership is the planned merger between Canadian AI firm Cohere and its German counterpart Aleph Alpha. This multi-billion-dollar deal, reportedly valued at $20 billion, aims to create an EU-Canadian multinational positioned as a democratic alternative in the AI landscape, addressing concerns about a potential "bifurcation" of the AI world into U.S.-led democratic and China-led autocratic spheres.