Last week, Amii hosted several dozen MPs from the visiting Liberal caucus while they were in Edmonton.
We took the opportunity to showcase Amii's – and Canada's – leadership in AI, with real-world projects and success stories.
By Rosa Elithorpe
Director, Academic & Government Relations
When the federal Liberal caucus gathered in Edmonton recently, several dozen MPs broke out of the meeting rooms to come visit Amii headquarters and see what Canada’s AI looks like up close – not in a briefing note, but in action.
They got a tour of the everyday places where AI is already earning its keep: at water treatment plants, where tiny improvements mean cleaner water and lower costs; on industrial sites, where smarter maintenance keeps equipment humming; and in emergency rooms, where AI scribes are building capacity and shortening wait times.
It wasn’t just a tech show-and-tell. It was a show-and-tell for Canada. Our work – and our partners’ work – runs coast to coast to coast. And the best ideas travel: a lesson in the lab in Edmonton can help crop optimization in Saskatchewan, or to map the magnetic field on Mars.
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View the photo gallery
MP Patty Hajdu announces $9 million in funding for a new AI literacy program, at Amii headquarters
Minister Mélanie Joly watches a project presentation while touring Amii headquarters
MP Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, meets with Turing Award Winner Richard Sutton and Amii CEO Cam Linke at Amii headquarters
MP Jennifer McKelvie views a demo of AI-driven ultrasound imaging technology.
Amii Fellow Patrick Pilarski demonstrates his work in bionic limb control to several MPs and their staff members.
Minister of AI Evan Solomon hears about Samdesk, an Amii-affiliated startup based on Edmonton.
Key takeaways
Learning isn’t just for machines
We also talked about AI literacy and training – not just for K-12 students, who are just starting to ask “how does this work?”, but also for adults who’ve been running companies longer than most bots have existed. From classroom resources to executive learning, our goal is the same: help Canadians understand and use AI wisely so the benefits stick around.
A good day for Canada’s AI momentum
During the visit, the Government of Canada highlighted $28.7 million in new support connected to the week’s events:
Over $9 million for AI Pathways: Energizing Canada’s Low-Carbon Workforce [LINK], led by Amii, to help nearly 5,000 energy workers build AI skills
Nearly $19.7 million to expand access to advanced AI compute so researchers, startups, and businesses can train and deploy modern models here in Canada.
Why Amii?
Because our approach has a habit of turning ideas into results. We focus on the practical hand-offs:
Invention (world-class research)
Innovation (building with companies)
Diffusion (spreading what works so others can use it, too).
The bottom line
The MPs didn’t come to see hype. They came to see what’s useful. What’s real. What’s being made. What’s impactful. That’s the bar we set for ourselves and our partners across Canada’s industries: health, energy, agriculture, and more.
Amii’s story may span decades, but the promise of AI for good and for all is only beginning. In collaboration with all levels of government, Amii will continue translating world-class research into lasting impact, ensuring AI serves the public good and strengthens Canada’s prosperity for generations to come.