Sources

Sources for tracking Canada's AI adoption and progress.

A living source library for AI Canada Pulse. Each source is labelled by what it helps answer, how to use it, its limits, when it should be reviewed, and whether the data can be reused.

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Keep different numbers separate

Do not combine employee generative AI use, small-business task use, official business adoption, pilots, government plans, and rules into one adoption number. They answer different questions and come from different sources.

Sources

Groups

Reusable data

Update rules

Public sources need update rules, not just links.

Initial records are reviewed as of 2026-05-22. A source should be refreshed when its publisher releases a new survey, dataset, annual report, registry record, policy update, enforcement action, or compute program detail.

Official data

Update when new data is released

Use the newest Statistics Canada table or release. Keep the older number until the publisher posts a new period.

Business use, planned use, barriers, jobs data.

Survey evidence

Update when a new survey is published

Check whether the sample, question wording, and audience changed before comparing the new result with the old one.

Worker use, small-business use, executive claims.

Manual references

Review when the page or policy changes

Use these as context, not as live data. Recheck them when a law, strategy, registry, or program page is updated.

Rules, government plans, registers, compute programs.

Source groups

Start with the question, then choose the source.

Official Business AI Use

How many Canadian businesses use AI, or plan to use it?

Statistics Canada sources for official business AI use, planned adoption, barriers, employment expectations, and operational changes.

7 sources

Use when: You need Statistics Canada numbers about whether businesses use AI, plan to use it, or say why they are not using it.
Do not use for: Counting every employee using tools like ChatGPT, or proving AI has changed productivity across the economy.
Start here: Start with Q2 2025 for current business use. Use Q3 2025 for plans.

Statistics Canada

Businesses using AI, Q2 2025

Main official number for business AI use

Use it for

Use this as the main official number for businesses using AI to produce goods or deliver services.

Keep in mind

It measures official business use, not informal worker use, software with AI features, or early pilots.

Source details

Source type

Official analysis

Coverage

National business adoption, sector, firm-size, and selected regional context

Review timing

When Statistics Canada releases a new business AI survey

Data reuse

Partly reusable

Status

Reviewed source

Last reviewed

2026-05-22

Source link

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-621-m/11-621-m2025008-eng.htm

Open source AI adoption guide

Statistics Canada

Businesses planning to use AI, Q3 2025

Main official number for planned AI use and reasons for not using AI

Use it for

Use this to separate current use from near-term intention, uncertainty, and stated barriers.

Keep in mind

Plans are not use, and stated intent can change before tools reach production workflows.

Source details

Source type

Official analysis

Coverage

National business plans, no-plan share, uncertainty, and reasons for non-use

Review timing

When Statistics Canada releases a new business AI survey

Data reuse

Partly reusable

Status

Reviewed source

Last reviewed

2026-05-22

Source link

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-621-m/11-621-m2025011-eng.htm

Open source AI adoption guide

Statistics Canada

Official table: businesses using AI

Official data table for charts about business AI use

Use it for

Use this table when building repeatable charts from the official business-use number.

Keep in mind

The table follows Statistics Canada's survey design and should not be blended with private survey samples.

Source details

Source type

Official data table

Coverage

Businesses using AI by sector, size, and other survey dimensions

Review timing

On table release

Data reuse

Reusable data

Status

Reviewed source

Last reviewed

2026-05-22

Source link

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3310099701

Open source How it works

Statistics Canada

Official table: why businesses are not using AI

Official baseline for non-adoption explanations

Use it for

Use this to explain why non-adopters say AI is not currently relevant, feasible, or mature enough.

Keep in mind

It captures stated reasons from survey respondents, not independent diagnosis of each firm's constraints.

Source details

Source type

Official data table

Coverage

Reasons businesses do not plan to use AI, including province and territory views

Review timing

On table release

Data reuse

Reusable data

Status

Reviewed source

Last reviewed

2026-05-22

Source link

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3310104601

Open source AI adoption guide

Statistics Canada

Official table: expected job effects

Official context for job-impact claims

Use it for

Use this when discussing whether AI-using firms expect to increase, decrease, or hold employment steady.

Keep in mind

Expectations are self-reported and should not be treated as measured labour-market displacement.

Source details

Source type

Official data table

Coverage

Expected employment effects among firms using or planning to use AI

Review timing

On table release

Data reuse

Reusable data

Status

Reviewed source

Last reviewed

2026-05-22

Source link

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3310104701

Open source Dashboard economic context

Statistics Canada

Official table: changes businesses make after adopting AI

Official context for what changes after firms adopt AI

Use it for

Use this for adoption impact explainers that focus on workflow redesign rather than hype.

Keep in mind

It indicates reported operational changes, not audited productivity gains or causal effects.

Source details

Source type

Official data table

Coverage

Training, workflow, hiring, cloud, and process changes associated with AI use

Review timing

On table release

Data reuse

Reusable data

Status

Reviewed source

Last reviewed

2026-05-22

Source link

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3310104801

Open source How it works

Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada data service

Technical path for refreshing official data

Use it for

Use this as the path for repeatable official-data updates and table checks.

Keep in mind

It is a data service, so each table still needs its own method notes and release schedule review.

Source details

Source type

Developer data service

Coverage

Statistics Canada table descriptions and values across official datasets

Review timing

Platform available continuously; source table cadence varies

Data reuse

Reusable data

Status

Reviewed source

Last reviewed

2026-05-22

Source link

https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/developers/wds

Open source How it works

Use these sources across the site.

This page explains what evidence exists. The rest of the site turns parts of that evidence into readable public pages with clearer labels.

AI adoption guideDefinitions, limits, and source-labelled adoption numbers.Live DashboardCurrent public-source signals and economic context.Data CentresCanadian compute infrastructure and impact estimates.How it worksHow live feeds, curated data, and AI enrichment are handled.