Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping many aspects of our lives – from education and business to healthcare and entertainment. Canada’s national AI strategy, titled AI for All, outlines the federal government’s plans to increase AI adoption in Canada, while emphasizing the wide range of applications and economic benefits of AI systems – including improving health services and outcomes, accelerating the clean energy transition, and optimizing logistics, agriculture, and advanced manufacturing.

Despite this optimistic outlook, the AI for All strategy also acknowledges Canada’s low public trust in AI and low adoption rates, framing this situation as a “translation problem, not resistance” bottlenecked by low levels of AI literacy. In turn, the strategy proposes solving low AI adoption by making Canadians more aware of these tools and technologies. However, critics argue this approach is ineffective at addressing the core issues driving public mistrust and is misguided in prioritizing AI adoption through literacy initiatives rather than ensuring public trust through effective governance and policy frameworks.

This study aims to understand the drivers of public trust in Canada and identify approaches that can guide implementation of the AI for All strategy. Our analysis identified four major, intersecting themes that should guide the government’s implementation of the national AI strategy in order to promote public trust:(1) literacy, training, and education; (2) technical standards and design; (3) public engagement and democratic participation; (4) governance and regulation.