Podcast · 00:34:08
A Canadian frontier model alone won’t give Canada control over its AI future. Anna Jahn explains why AI sovereignty also depends on data, energy, compute, talent, and governance, and why countries may need to combine their strengths to reduce dependence on the biggest AI powers.
Anna is Executive Director of the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University. She previously led public policy and inclusion work at Mila. In this conversation, she examines who holds power over AI now, why Canadian research strength hasn’t produced the same economic strength, and what a credible Canadian approach could look like.
In this conversation:
Why researchers, the public, government, and industry talk past one another
Whether democratic policymaking needs to match the pace of AI
Why voluntary company safeguards aren’t enough
The tension between promoting AI adoption and protecting the public
Why a domestic frontier model is only one part of AI sovereignty
How Canada could work with other middle powers
Why Canadian AI talent often builds companies elsewhere
What Anna wants to hear from Mark Carney about AI
Montreal’s opportunity to offer a different vision for AI
What it would take for Canadians to trust and benefit from the technology
Chapters:
00:00 Who Gets a Say in AI Policy?
02:19 Can Governments Keep Up With AI?
05:17 Who Is Responsible for AI Safety?
08:03 AI Adoption vs. Public Protection
11:15 Why One Model Won’t Deliver AI Sovereignty
14:07 Why Canada Struggles to Commercialize AI Research
16:49 What a Middle-Power AI Alliance Could Look Like
21:55 What Canada Needs to Do First
24:44 Is Montreal Still a Leading AI Hub?
27:38 Should Montreal Try to Become Another Silicon Valley?
29:34 What AI Success Would Look Like for Canadians
32:28 What Gives Anna Hope
33:32 Where to Find Anna’s Work
Connect with Anna:
Website: https://mediatechdemocracy.com/en/team/anna-jahn/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-jahn-8a318241/
Podcast:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W
Listen on the original platform →