Ottawa tabs $2.3M to accelerate AI adoption, digital media sector in Manitoba

The federal government is giving Manitoba’s interactive digital media sector a $2-million-plus boost.

Prairies Economic Development Canada announced on Wednesday more than $2.3 million in support of New Media Manitoba, the non-profit association serving the keystone province’s interactive digital media industry.

The investment will expand New Media Manitoba’s capabilities by integrating artificial intelligence into StudioLab xR, the multimillion-dollar extended reality training site the association opened last year at its 201 Portage Ave. headquarters in Winnipeg.

The investment will allow the association to assist small- and medium-sized enterprises to adopt AI, bring new products to market and create digital media jobs in Manitoba. The association will also deliver workforce training programs to equip Manitobans to succeed in an AI-enabled economy.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the world and these changes are just getting started, Liberal MP Ginette Lavack (St. Boniface—St. Vital) said while announcing the funding during an event in StudioLab xR.

“The question isn’t if Canada will be part of the transformation, it’s how we make sure Canadian companies, workers and communities are leading it.”

The investment is expected to support 77 new jobs, train 100 individuals and assist 50 small- and medium-sized businesses, Lavack said.

Accelerating AI adoption and interactive digital media will create a foundation for innovation that extends across Manitoba’s entire economy, said Louie Ghiz, executive director at New Media Manitoba.

Integrating AI into Unreal Engine, the 3D computer graphics game engine the association uses, will allow for the creation of tools that empower creators across various industries to build, simulate and iterate faster, he added.

“Whether it’s automating workflows, visualizing data or training machine learning modules in real-time 3D environments, Unreal Engine with AI is unlocking new ways to solve real-world problems,” Ghiz said.

New Media Manitoba has hired Lesley Klassen in the role of senior manager of AI initiatives and projects, Ghiz announced, adding Klassen brings a wealth of experience from the intersection of AI, virtual reality and digital media.

Klassen is currently the head of strategy and product growth at Masterpiece X, an AI company in Montreal focused on 3D workflows. Previously, he co-founded and served as CEO of Flipside XR, a venture-backed virtual reality startup.

Klassen will join New Media Manitoba at the end of the month, Ghiz said.

The association recently conducted a study to assess the state of workplace AI adoption and AI product commercialization amongst interactive digital media companies in the province, Ghiz noted. The near-unanimous rationale for using AI in the workplace was to enhance productivity and save time by automating tasks.

“While AI (does come with) concerns about job displacement, we believe that AI can free people up from mundane, routine tasks to focus on higher-value areas that will have greater impact,” Ghiz said. “Plus, by proactively driving the growth of the industry, new jobs and emerging roles and other opportunities will be created.”

The federal funding is a game-changer, said Ben Myers, co-founder of Robin, a Winnipeg startup that offers an AI communication tool businesses can use to give their customers instant answers via text message.

“We can build sophisticated AI here,” Myers said. “Not in San Francisco, not in Toronto — right here in Winnipeg. And that matters for all of us … It shows that Manitoba’s tech sector can compete globally.”

Manitobans need to act now when it comes to AI or they risk being left behind, said Christian Dandeneau, co-founder and CEO of the software company ID Fusion.

“Early adopters will define our future,” Dandeneau said. “I hope that we will see this as an opportunity to respond and not to be sitting by the sidelines.”

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca