Powering Intelligence

Prepare and support the workforce for AI adoption

• Implement governance to oversee AI adoption, training and risk management.
• Conduct AI usage audits to identify tools is use and their associated tasks.
• Develop comprehensive workforce transition plans alongside AI strategies, including reskilling programs, job redesign and clear communication, to reduce uncertainty and build trust.
• Establish policies that provide workers with clear guardrails on how and when to use AI.
• Engage unions and frontline employees early in planning to ensure job quality and equitable participation.

Adopt enterprise-wide AI strategies

• Move beyond isolated pilots to integrated strategies that balance efficiency with ethical considerations, risk analysis, transparency and community trust.

Strengthen operations and resilience

• Expand AI for predictive maintenance, outage forecasting, vegetation management and disaster response to improve reliability and reduce costs.

Prioritize cybersecurity

• Invest in AI-driven monitoring and adaptive defence systems to protect critical assets and maintain public confidence.

Advance lifecycle stewardship

• Plan for AI systems lifecycle management, including model retraining, hardware upgrades and responsible decommissioning, and leverage AI for emissions monitoring and environmental compliance.

Lead workforce transformation

• Support critical thinking and empower employees through training that equips employees to responsibly use AI tools, understand data privacy regulations such as PIPEDA, and adapt confidently to evolving technologies.
• Train leaders to evaluate AI deployment decisions against productivity benchmarks, asking “will this tool improve productivity or reduce it?”
• Create training programs that build technical and cross-functional skills, enabling employees to adapt confidently to AI-driven changes.

Ensure responsible use of AI in HR practices

• Implement safeguards for fairness, bias prevention, privacy and monitoring when using AI for recruitment, training and performance evaluation. Maintain human oversight as essential.

Support culture and well-being:

• Invest in leadership development, mentorship and mental health supports to help employees navigate change while sustaining engagement and morale.

Collaborate with unions and staff

• Foster transparent dialogue and joint planning to ensure adoption enhances job quality rather than creating division.

Invest in workforce readiness and inclusion

• Canada lags in AI training and literacy compared to global peers. Expanding education and retraining programs—in partnership with Indigenous and local communities—will be key to building an inclusive workforce for the future.

Modernize regulatory frameworks

• Governments should establish clear and consistent guidelines for AI deployment in the electricity sector. This includes certification, validation and oversight processes—particularly for safety-critical systems such as nuclear operations and grid reliability.

Support innovation and adoption

• Financial incentives and regulatory “sandboxes” can help utilities and smaller firms overcome cost and risk barriers, while encouraging innovation and experimentation.

Align AI policy with climate and equity goals

• AI adoption should advance Canada’s environmental and social priorities. Policies should ensure that new infrastructure supports decarbonization, community consultation and equitable participation.

Scale workforce-focused programs

• Expand interdisciplinary curricula combining AI, energy systems and sustainability, with strong emphasis on ethics, governance and Indigenous perspectives.

Strengthen industry partnerships for experiential learning

• Increase internships, co-op placements and applied labs to prepare students for evolving careers in the electricity sector.
• Build programs in partnership with industry to accelerate AI adoption leveraging skills learned in school.

Address regional and accessibility needs

• Offer micro-credentials and remote delivery to reach rural and underserved communities, tailored to regional energy strengths.

Advance research in responsible AI

• Lead development of explainable, transparent AI systems for energy applications to set Canadian standards for responsible deployment.

Coordinate national workforce development

• Align AI investments with lifelong learning and accessible credentials to build absorptive capacity across the sector.

Adapt regulatory frameworks for agility

• Implement sandbox models and iterative governance to keep pace with technological change while safeguarding public interest and trust.

Expand partnerships for inclusive innovation

• Foster collaboration among technology providers, academia and labour organizations to scale workforce solutions.

Ensure environmental stewardship

• Integrate sustainability goals into infrastructure planning to prioritize clean energy sources, efficient cooling systems and prevent ecological overreach.