STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE

Canada's first national-level convening at the intersection of AI and the cultural sector. Co-hosted by the Government of Canada (Canadian Heritage) and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. This is a ministerial-level event — Canada created a dedicated Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation (the first in the country's history), signalling cabinet-level priority for AI governance.

THE THREE PILLARS

BUILD: Cross-sector collaboration between AI researchers and cultural practitioners. New models for AI R&D that centre cultural values. Partnerships with institutions like Mila (Quebec AI Institute) on cultural data strategy.

EMPOWER: Upskilling cultural workers for an AI-integrated creative economy. Developing interdisciplinary talent pipelines. Making AI tools accessible and relevant to cultural organizations.

PROTECT: Copyright and consent in AI training data. Flexible regulatory frameworks that protect creators without stifling innovation. Ensuring AI serves the public interest and cultural sovereignty.

CANADIAN AI STRATEGY CONTEXT

• 30-day national AI strategy consultation received 11,000+ submissions
• Canada launching renewed National AI Strategy in 2026 (original was 2017)
• Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA) — Part of Bill C-27
• Voluntary Code of Conduct on Responsible Development of Advanced Generative AI (2023)
• Creation of the AI and Data Commissioner role
• Dedicated Minister of AI and Digital Innovation (2025) — first in Canadian history

KEY GOVERNMENT FIGURES

Hon. Evan Solomon — Minister of AI and Digital Innovation. Canada's first-ever dedicated AI minister, appointed 2025. Previously known as journalist and broadcaster (CTV Power Play, CBC). Visited India in February 2026 for bilateral AI partnerships. Speaking at Calgary.Tech event March 18.

Hon. Marc Miller — Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture. Leads the Canadian Heritage portfolio. His involvement frames AI-culture policy as a cultural sovereignty issue. Known for speaking Mohawk in Parliament.

Chris Lorway — President & CEO, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Under his leadership, the Centre has expanded digital arts and technology programming. Co-host of the summit (not just venue).

MILA COLLABORATION

Mila (Quebec AI Institute), one of the world's leading AI research centres (founded by Yoshua Bengio), is collaborating on cultural data strategy for the summit. Focus on how cultural data should be collected, stored, and used for AI training; ethical frameworks for cultural AI applications; and technical standards for cultural data sovereignty.

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