Ford's funding cut to AI research will hamper innovation

WATERLOO — Catherine Fife, Ontario NDP critic for Employment, Research and Innovation, released the following statement in response to news that the Ford Conservatives have ended funding to at least two institutes researching artificial intelligence (AI):

“It’s incredibly short-sighted for Doug Ford to pull the plug on funding for research into AI — a growing industry in which Ontario has a competitive edge. Instead of preparing our province for the economy of the future, Ford and his Conservatives are dragging Ontario backwards by ripping away resources that support innovation and job creation. This move is yet another Ford attack on the province’s long-term economic outlook, and yet another move that undermines investor and business confidence in the stability of Ontario’s business climate under Ford.”