I attended a 4-hour workshop on AI with the Ivey (Western) faculty yesterday, and it was well worth the time. Here are some of the major takeaways from the event:
The key for Canada with AI as we go forward is data sovereignty
AI data sovereignty refers to having supreme authority and control over data used in artificial intelligence systems. It encompasses ownership, governance, and regulatory compliance, ensuring organizations manage data in alignment with legal and ethical standards. This is crucial for maintaining privacy, security, and ethical considerations in AI applications, as control over data significantly impacts how AI models are developed and deployed.
What it really means is that the data center must be located in Canada. Microsoft Copilot does this; ChatGPT does not!
AI adoption in Canadian businesses is growing rapidly
Currently, 12.2% of businesses report using AI to produce goods or deliver services over the last 12 months. This is up from 6.1% in Q2 2024. The most common applications are text analytics, followed by data analytics and virtual agents/chatbots. AI usage is most prevalent in information and cultural industries, professional, scientific, and technical services, and the finance and insurance sectors.
This represents the fastest growth rate of any tech product since Windows was released in 1985!
Canada is uniquely positioned for success
We have large amounts of cheap, clean electricity and a skilled workforce. This gives us the ability to build and maintain AI data centers!
Interest levels are high among Canadian businesses
The room was full for a 4-hour AI session! I’ve attended many Ivey events where attendance was half that.
At Vox, we’re leading the way
We are now scheduling six AI (Copilot) training sessions per month for our customers. In addition, Microsoft is including AI in all its products.
To see what’s new with AI (Copilot), please attend our free online training seminar: What is New in Copilot 2026 on December 17 at 1 PM.