Regional analysis of AI in Québec

The second most populous province in Canada, Québec is a regional hub in the development and acceleration of artificial intelligence. In November 2021 our team incorporated the province into the Global AI Index to evaluate the strength of its AI ecosystem and to put the region in the context of the countries in the AI Index.

We found the province ranked 7th – behind Germany and ahead of Israel and the Netherlands. This is based on data collected during the previous iteration of the Index, in addition to bespoke indicator research on Québec. 

The province notably excels in our research, government strategy, and commercial pillars, ranking 5th, 6th, and 7th, respectively. From hosting top academics to attracting a strong level of private investment, Québec falls ahead of several leading nations in these areas, according to the metrics in our Index, which includes both measures of absolute capacity and per capita “intensity” metrics. 

Québec falls slightly behind in the Infrastructure and Operating Environment pillars, reflecting areas of relative weakness in some of the foundational elements of successful AI ecosystems, such as supercomputing capabilities and public trust in AI. 

The results of this analysis highlight some of the ways that Québec is burgeoning as an AI hub and provides greater insight into its significance within the broader Canadian ecosystem. You can find more information on our AI dashboards, subnational AI ecosystem evaluations, and bespoke reports here. 

Note: Since these results are based on research conducted in November 2021, the rankings may not be aligned with the most recent iteration on the Global AI Index.