Plus: It's “valley or bust” for Canada's young entrepreneurs.
An AI chatbot created by one person as a proof of concept on a Friday afternoon, with no guarantee that it would work. Has a government project ever looked so much like a startup?
That's what I was thinking as I listened to Canadian Digital Service's Michael Carlin speak at the Responsible AI Summit in Ottawa this week. His team is developing a prototype GPT-4-based tool that should make searching any of the federal government's more than 10 million Web pages much easier. But why use the OpenAI model if the government there is an agreement with the Canadian company Cohere?
On stage, Carlin discussed security and fairness considerations creating a publicly accessible government artificial intelligence tool. After that he took me under the hood.
Cohere models use advanced search generation (RAG) approach, while Carlin's web navigation tool uses an agent-based approach. Carlin explained that using RAG is “really challenging” on such a large website that changes as frequently as the Canadian government website.
“[We’d] require a lot of people to constantly curate the data,” Carlin said. “Instead, we created agents that identify new websites or website updates.”
That doesn't mean Cohere can't fit into the process, Carlin added, but “those decisions haven't been made yet.” It seems like a startup, Carlin's team will continually improve it.
Alex Riehl
Staff Writer, Ottawa
Uber Canada is partnering with MADD Canada (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) to combat drunk driving.
While getting home safely has never been easier, alcohol remains a factor in a quarter of fatalities on public roads in Canada.
Ride sharing plays a vital role in the fight against impaired driving.
Here's why Uber Canada working with MADD Canada to achieve real change.
87% of Canadian drivers say Uber has helped reduce drunk driving and made driving safer. And with more than 100,000 designated drivers on the road, the impact is real.
No matter how Canadians get home, Uber is proud to support every ride that gets them there safely.
New Life Sciences Fund and Leadership Exodus Signify Continued Reboot at BDC
The Business Development Bank of Canada is preparing to roll out new private equity vehicles, including a return to life sciences, as months of executive leadership transition continue.
As DEI backlash spreads across Canada, Black tech leaders envision a more sustainable model
DEI has changed course; Black and racialized founders see lower rates of entrepreneurship and face funding gaps. Supporters say the tech industry should focus on crossover initiatives, community and access to capital.
What is the economic outlook for Canadian cloud sovereignty?
Ahead of the Canadian Sovereign Cloud debate at the Canadian Science Policy Conference last week, a data center CEO and scientist told BetaKit that Canadian-owned digital infrastructure could usher in an artificial intelligence industry.
Questrade Doubles Tools for Advanced Traders at First Product Launch
Facing pressure from Toronto FinTech and online trading rival Wealthsimple, Questrade has unveiled a series of new investment offerings as it seeks to speed up product development and double down on advanced retail traders.
Feds may ban screen data collection. Is an outright ban the answer?
The federal government has opened the door to a ban on screen scraping as part of legislation promoting Canada's long-awaited open banking system. However, a spokesman for the finance minister told BetaKit that despite the wording of the bill, the government could not eliminate the practice entirely.
'We're in the big leagues now': Manziel launches halal ETF on Nasdaq
The Toronto-based Islamic fintech startup is joining the ranks of companies like Wahed and Wealthsimple in offering halal ETFs, a growing investment offering for the underbanked market.
Calgary Institute of Technology talks about a different kind of energy during Innovation Week
Now in its 15th year, Calgary Innovation Week has grown along with the city itself. BetaKit stopped by to find out how innovation hubs have helped city startups succeed.
Plooto co-founder sues payment software company and accuses board of directors of firing him
Plooto co-founder Sergei Kloubkov is suing his former company, alleging that the company violated its shareholder agreement and fired him “in bad faith.” The lawsuit follows Klubkov's attempt to reappoint the company's other co-founder, Hamed Abbasi, to the board of directors after he was acquitted of sexual assault earlier this year.
TikTok could face class action lawsuit in Canada over alleged misuse of personal data
A proposed class action filed in British Columbia alleges that the social media app does not disclose the scope of personal information it collects from Canadians (including children) or how it uses that information for advertising.
SELECTED STORIES FROM OUR PARTNERS
- Calgary-based VizworX believes building in 3D is easier than filing an SR&ED claim. The custom solutions they create using AR, VR, AI, IoT, geospatial mapping and biometric assessment are inherently experimental—in other words, exactly what Canada's SR&ED tax credit program was designed to support. But getting that value turned out to be more difficult than the team expected. “We're really good at a lot of things, especially the technical side,” the company's lead solutions engineer told BetaKit. “But sometimes we need help.” Learn about the partnership that enabled VizworX focus on what they do best.
BetaKit Podcast – Valley or Bust for Young Entrepreneurs in Canada
“At first we thought, 'This must be a scam,' because with the way things were going in Waterloo and Toronto, it seemed too fast.”
A chance connection with competitors brought Colare co-founder Nain Abdi from Waterloo to Silicon Valley. He explains what drew his company south, why his colleagues are eager to make a similar leap, and what, if anything, might convince him to return to Canada.
🇨🇦 Weekly Canadian Deals, Dollars and More
- SF – Canadian Led Patchwork Quilt launches its smart heat pumps in the north
- TOR – YC graduate Clade raises $2 million for artificial intelligence platform for mass recruitment
- TOP – SickKids Charitable Foundation takes over Upside fund management
- MTL – Inovia opens Office in Abu Dhabi as Canada strengthens ties with UAE
- MTL – Swedish Royal Family visits Mila looking for partnership in the field of research in the field of artificial intelligence
- HFX – Sea Launch conducts First commercial rocket launch in Nova Scotia
Take the BetaKit Test: The Great Cloudflare Crash, Russian Robots, and the Rebirth of Zork
Think you're up to date on Canadian technology and innovation news? Time to prove it. Test your knowledge of Canadian technology news with the BetaKit quiz on November 21, 2025.
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Image courtesy of the Ottawa Summit for Responsible AI.
