Inspiring Unfettered Innovation

The Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing offer opportunities to improve productivity, transform services, and support economic growth. Prepared by ICTC, this report explores how these technologies could reshape Canadian businesses and workplaces. It examines the importance of data strategies, workforce skills, cybersecurity, and open innovation in helping Canada benefit from an increasingly connected economy.

Key Takeaways

• Data literacy and the ability to act on real-time information are essential to helping organizations improve operations, respond to customers, and compete in connected supply chains.
• Cloud computing can reduce infrastructure costs and expand access to advanced computing capabilities, supporting the adoption of connected devices, automation, and artificial intelligence.
• Automation is expected to change tasks and skills across industries. The report emphasizes preparing students and supporting current workers as demand shifts toward more complex work.Youth participation in the digital economy has declined over the past two decades, while the share of workers aged 55 years and older has grown.
• Greater connectivity creates cybersecurity and privacy risks: a weakness in one device can affect an entire system. Organizations need to strengthen security alongside technology adoption.
• Open innovation, including shared research, open data, and open-source software, can help businesses and governments collaborate, develop new services, and make better use of collective knowledge.