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"Today, a significant amount of AI research and education is taking place in the United States and China. These countries are home to many of the best universities in the world, and their governments have provided funding and created thoughtful regulations that enable innovation. But the United States and China have also built incredible business ecosystems. It’s very difficult for other countries, even those with great education, to compete with the business, engineering and investing talent of those two countries. To close this gap, and work towards decentralizing the concentration of AI technology, we must invest in education. Governments should invest heavily in educating their citizens and enter public–private partnerships to adopt AI-powered systems safely. AI will transform every facet of society. It brings tremendous promise to improve our lives and the world we live in, but it will require the creation of an AI ecosystem to ensure long-term, sustainable growth. As this report highlights, AI technology and innovation has until now been focused on a small number of regions and organizations. In building a fairer and more equitable AI-driven society, we must empower businesses, governments and citizens who may be impacted by automation to ensure that the benefits of AI are widely shared." ​Andrew Ng, CEO, Landing AI and deeplearning.ai

In its 2020 list of future jobs, the World Economic Forum listed “robotics engineers” as No. 10, in close company with “AI and machine learning specialists.” In Canada, I see huge potential for our robotics industry, with companies such as Clearpath Robotics, OTTO Motors, Kinova, Robotiq and Titan Medical already world leaders in the design and manufacture of robots for purposes ranging from materials handling to surgery.

Beyond building robots, Canada’s most significant opportunities may lie in the increased adoption of robots into economically important industry sectors, including mining, agriculture, manufacturing and transportation. And yet, Canada may be the only G7 country without a robotics strategy.

As it turns out, there is hope. According to a November 2020 report from Statistics Canada, Canadian firms that employed robots have also hired more human workers, contrary to what you may instinctively believe. In fact, they hired 15 per cent more workers!

However, this does not mean that we can all sit back and relax. Along with the increased economic activity that robots bring to businesses comes a shift in the workforce from “workers spending less time performing routine, manual tasks, in favour of non-routine, cognitive tasks.”

The roles of education and research and development — such as new programs to train the next generation of robot-savvy Canadians and collaborative research clusters — are paramount. And they need to be combined with a national robotics strategy and a progressive socioeconomic system that supports a transitioning workforce to ensure the success, well-being and happiness of Canadians, alongside our robot friends.

Joshua A. Marshall, associate professor of mechatronics and robotics engineering, Queen’s University. ​via: Global News FEB 27, 2021

CLICK CHART TO ENLARGE In-Demand Tech Skills in 2021 via Randstad.ca java linux javascript SQL python C# / .NET C / C++ cloud technologies

Artificial intelligence Salary: $88,725/Year  The average artificial intelligence salary in Canada is $88,725 per year or $45.50 per hour. Entry level positions start at $52,813 per year while most experienced workers make up to $140,000 per year. (Based on 20 salaries).  Related Salaries Intelligence Manager $105,000 (based on 15 salaries) Intelligence $78,450 (based on 283 salaries) Intelligence Analyst $76,031 (based on 124 salaries) Marine $60,200 (based on 939 salaries)​ Source: ca.talent.com ​ ​Top 121 Artificial Intelligence companies in Canada via Clutch.co March 2021  Top 129 Artificial Intelligence companies in Canada via Goodfirms.co March 2021

​2021 Predictions: What the Future Holds
January 29, 2021 - Google Cloud Thought Leaders