The Minister's engagements in Berlin focused on advancing AI sovereignty and deepening Canada's cooperation with its European partners
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how countries innovate, compete, and build economic resilience. As Canada strengthens its AI capabilities at home, working with trusted international partners is essential to supporting responsible innovation and creating opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses.
Today, the Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, concluded a visit to Germany, where he participated in Germany's 2026 Digital Summit and met with international counterparts and AI industry leaders to advance cooperation on AI, digital transformation and economic security.
At the Digital Summit, the Minister delivered keynote remarks during the "Tech Middle Powers Cooperation: Building a Sovereign Technology Alliance" session, highlighting the importance of trusted international partnerships in shaping the future of AI. He also participated in a ministerial discussion hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on "Shaping AI: From Sovereignty to Scale," where international leaders explored how countries can strengthen their AI ecosystem while supporting innovation and economic competitiveness.
The Minister also met with Dr. Karsten Wildberger, Germany's Federal Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation. The ministers reaffirmed the importance of AI and digital technologies to economic growth and resilience and discussed opportunities to build upon their Sovereign Technology Alliance and the recent announcements made by the two countries to invest in LawZero and to support the growth of Cohere following its merger with Aleph Alpha. They also emphasized the importance of promoting AI safety through international collaboration and common AI standards.
The visit also underscored Canada's commitment to strengthening ties with European partners. Alongside his engagements with Germany, the Minister met with Anne Le Hénanff, France's Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs, Willemijn Aerdts, the Netherlands' Minister for the Digital Economy and Sovereignty, and Viktor Rossi, Switzerland's Federal Chancellor. He also met with representatives from SAP, Schwarz Digits and Giesecke+Devrient to discuss opportunities for collaboration on AI adoption and digital innovation in Canada.
Canada is working to build an AI future that supports economic growth, strengthens digital resilience and promotes the safe and responsible development of AI. As outlined in Canada's National AI Strategy: AI for All, international partnerships play an important role in advancing these objectives and helping Canadian innovators and businesses succeed in global markets.
