Google's Impact in Canada: Fueling Growth and Empowering Canadians with AI

Oct 01, 2024

Sabrina Geremia

Vice President and Country Managing Director, Google Canada

AI is one of the most profound technologies humanity is working on. At Google, we believe AI can inspire and empower people in nearly every field of human endeavor, and we’re working – boldly and responsibly – to turn that belief into reality.

Our mission—to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful—is at the heart of everything we do. For over two decades, Google has been connecting Canadians to the information and businesses that matter to them the most. Eight years ago, we reoriented the company around AI and are committed to making AI even more helpful for Canadians, for Canadian businesses, and for our communities.

An Economic Impact Report released today by Public First explores the economic promise of AI for Canada, and looks at how Google’s innovations and products are helping Canadians, workers and businesses grow and thrive.

Canada at the forefront of AI innovation

Generative AI has the potential to boost Canada’s economy by $230 billion and could save the average Canadian worker over 175 hours a year.

Canada occupies a unique place on the world stage when it comes to leadership in AI. Our spirit of innovation, openness and collaboration across academia, the private sector, and non-profit organizations has fostered a world-class AI ecosystem.

At Google, we’ve been applying AI to our products for years, and innovations from our Canadian research teams are improving global products like Google Maps and paving the way for new technologies that will enhance content creation through generative AI and improve healthcare outcomes.

Canada has the unique opportunity to harness technology to support business growth, help people work more efficiently, unlock new ways of learning, and solve broader societal challenges. If Canada gets this right, generative AI has the potential to boost Canada’s economy by $230 billion and could save the average Canadian worker over 175 hours a year. That’s potentially a bigger boost to growth than the entire personal computer or Internet revolution.

Unlocking Canada’s AI Potential

AI presents immense opportunities to propel the economy forward and tackle the productivity challenges Canada is facing. Public First’s research looked at how Canadians and Canadian businesses perceive the technology.

59% of Canadians report feeling optimistic about the broader impact technology will have in the next 20 years

In our polling of early adopter businesses… 80% agreed that AI will make Canadian businesses more productive. 80% agreed that AI was an important opportunity for the Canadian economy. 80% agreed that AI would have a positive impact on their sector as a whole. 50% of SMB leaders use (or plan to use) AI to save time, 46% to save money, 43% to grow their business, and 55% to work more efficiently.

: On AI specifically and across early adopters: 57% thought AI would make things better for them personally. 51% thought AI would make things better for the economy. 52% thought AI would make things better for society as a whole.

74% of Canadians who already use or plan to use AI at their job say it will help them become more productive, and 1 in 5 workers say they already use AI to help them at their job, rising to almost a third of younger Canadians.

50% of SMB leaders use (or plan to use) AI to save time, 46% to save money, 43% to grow their business, and 55% to work more efficiently.

Helping Canadian businesses and workers adapt to AI

63% of Canadian workers are interested in AI skilling, rising to 72% young Canadians

The shift towards embracing AI will also create new opportunities for Canadian workers. One in five workers say they already use AI to help them at their job, rising to almost a third of younger Canadians. To ensure the development and use of AI benefits everyone, work needs to be done to support Canadian businesses, and help Canadians learn the skills required to succeed in the workforce.

Google is committed to helping Canadians prepare for the AI-driven jobs of the future. In 2024, Google launched Google’s AI Essentials, a course to help Canadians gain practical, hands-on AI skills to grow their careers and businesses. For businesses, Google’s products, AI-powered advertising tools and cloud technologies have unlocked a new world of possibilities. They are helping Canada’s businesses modernize, identify new audiences, build their brands both at home and abroad, and stay competitive.

Let’s take a look at Google’s impact in Canada in 2023: