Amid escalating geopolitical tensions and geoeconomic uncertainties, the discourse of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven growth has become tightly interwoven with new narratives of Canadian economic security and sovereignty. At the heart of this agenda lies AI adoption and commercialisation, positioned as central to national competitiveness and future prosperity. This article is part of the AI Policy Observatory for the World of Work (AIPOWW) Symposium for Global Political Economy, which offers a critical political economy analysis of Canada’s evolving AI landscape and gamble. We question the disjuncture between an emerging techno-nationalist narrative and the continuing promise of good jobs. By examining how AI in Canada has been 1) developed, 2) regulated and 3) governed through the lens of nation-building economic aspirations and innovation policy, we argue that the narrative of technological inevitability and the promise of shared prosperity and high-paying jobs remain largely unfulfilled. Considering the failed passage of the AI and Data Act (AIDA) ahead of the 2025 Canadian election, we argue that this regulatory gap creates a pivotal opportunity to orient Canada’s AI strategy beyond an emerging techno-nationalist innovation policy but also as a public good for broad-based prosperity. This shift calls for embedding accountability mechanisms, greater labour participation and public interest by re-centring rights and politics in the pursuit of safer, more secure and responsible AI for everyone.
Hung et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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