Three ways Canada can contribute to the global development of artificial intelligence

We are at a pivotal moment. Artificial intelligence (AI) has now advanced to the point where autonomous decision-making and action are possible. Unlike earlier systems that mainly responded to prompts or analyzed data, agentic AI can set goals, reason, plan, write code and execute complex tasks with minimal human intervention.  

AI could accelerate progress on global development challenges — from health and education to climate resilience and food security. However, as AI systems become more autonomous and embedded in everyday life, they also risk deepening inequalities, concentrating power and undermining rights, especially for vulnerable communities. 

Which direction we take depends on choices made now. This came into sharp focus as IDRC, alongside host India and Singapore, co-chaired the Science Working Group on behalf of Canada for the India AI Impact Summit in February 2026. I offer three suggestions on where Canada’s international assistance on AI can advance development impact, our country’s values, and broader foreign policy, trade and security objectives. 

First: Support locally led innovation and inclusive, rights-based AI.

This is a natural fit for Canada. Supporting locally led innovation and inclusive, rights-based AI means building on our longstanding development approach — grounded in democracy, pluralism, gender equality, human rights and inclusion.  

In practice, it means investing in local researchers and innovators to develop their own AI solutions, because those closest to a problem are best placed to solve it. It requires ensuring that diverse languages and communities are represented in data and models. It also means strengthening governance and safeguards and supporting countries to shape AI policy in line with their own development priorities. 

If we get this right, AI can be a powerful tool for shared prosperity. If we get it wrong, it risks exacerbating existing divides. 

Second: Canada’s advantage lies in strengthening the foundations for responsible innovation.

Canada has a clear niche. We are strong on research, talent and leadership in ethical AI and have long-standing partnerships across the Global South. Our advantage is strengthening AI science foundations — systems that include talent, institutions, infrastructure and governance — that enable countries to develop and use AI responsibly. This gives Canada — a middle power navigating an increasingly transactional international landscape — a much wider network of strong AI partners.  

Canada already supports responsible AI networks in more than 35 countries through the more than CAD100-million AI for Development (AI4D) program co-funded by IDRC and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). AI4D is an ecosystem, with 13 AI research labs across Africa building local talent; multi-country innovation networks applying AI in health, education, agriculture, climate and inclusion; and support to local policy organizations shaping African Union and national AI strategies. We are now expanding to Asia, deepening Canada-Asia collaboration. 

Investments in systems lay the foundation for lasting, locally led impact and position Canada as a trusted partner — supporting countries to shape AI in ways that reflect their own priorities while also advancing our economic and security interests. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, Canada, through IDRC, and Sweden supported nine African universities to use AI for local disease surveillance. The team in South Africa helped detect the Omicron variant and informed Canada’s public-health response, helping to protect our economy and security. 

Third: Scaling impact will require stronger partnerships and better evidence.

The Global South is replete with AI innovators. In Kenya, for example, an AI-enabled maternal-health app developed by a local non-governmental organization (NGO) now reaches millions of mothers through basic mobile phones and in local languages. There have been significant improvements in care-seeking, critical in a country where 30% of maternal deaths are preventable. But such examples of impact at scale remain limited. 

Stronger collaboration across international assistance donors is essential. Through the AI4D Funders’ Collaborative — alongside eight other development funders  — we are sharing learning and have aligned over CAD200 million in AI-for-development investments to date. Two examples demonstrate the power of working together: 1)  an USD18-million (CAD24.6-million) joint initiative to unlock the benefits of AI for more than 40 African languages, funded by FCDO, IDRC, Google.org and the Gates Foundation, building on in-kind support from the Government of Germany, and 2) a USD10-million (CAD13.7-million) initiative, funded by IDRC, FCDO and the Gates Foundation, to expand access to compute for AI-enabled scientific breakthroughs. The scale and impact of these initiatives would not have been possible for any single donor to achieve alone. They were made possible by pooling not only resources, but also experience, expertise and learning.  

Beyond donor coordination, collaboration across academia, innovators, NGOs and the private sector is critical to move from pilots to scale. The Kenyan health example reflects this. Amongst others, it was supported by IDRC, Grand Challenges Canada, the Gates Foundation and Google.org, in partnership with a local NGO. 

At the same time, we need stronger evidence on what works, for whom, and under what conditions. IDRC and partners have launched a cross-donor initiative to build a shared evidence base for AI investments in low- and middle-income countries to inform what to scale and how. 

Canada can play a catalytic role internationally — not by trying to lead on every aspect of AI, but by focusing where we add most value: supporting locally led, inclusive innovation; strengthening the foundations for responsible AI ecosystems; and deepening partnerships and evidence to scale what works.