The delegation, led by Director General Petr Očko of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, included representatives from Addai, a company specializing in smart chatbots for telecommunications and banking; Aiviro, a provider of an AI visual robot that automates routine office tasks; entente, a software engineering company focused on applied AI and digital health; and Filuta AI, an intelligent automation platform that has secured the largest investment for any Czech pre-seed stage start-up.

The delegation also showcased Czechia’s strong research base, with representatives from Brno University of Technology, the AI Center at Czech Technical University, and the Institute of Computer Sciences. The mission builds on a similar delegation in 2018 that inspired the creation of prg.ai, an organization dedicated to making Prague an internationally recognized AI hub. It also provided an opportunity for Director General Petr Očko to share best practices with Canadian counterparts at federal and provincial levels.

Canada has been a leader in AI, adopting its National AI Strategy in 2017 and currently in its second phase of implementation. Czechia is currently reviewing its own National AI Strategy and looked to Canada for valuable reference. The delegation met with key counterparts in Ontario and Québec from the public sector, private sector, universities, and ecosystem players. They also had the opportunity to network and discuss possible cooperation with Vector and Mila, two of Canada’s leading AI institutes, as well as with world-leading universities such as the University of Toronto, McGill University, and Queen’s University.

The mission showcased the excellence of Czech AI know-how and positioned Canada as an ideal partner for diverse projects, partnerships, and collaborations. Research organizations are keen on developing further relations and research collaborations with Canadian universities, while companies explore the Canadian and North American market for potential collaborations and further expansion.