Anthropic expands Canadian footprint with AI training program

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomeInnovationAnthropic expands Canadian footprint with AI training programThe partnership with Venture for Canada gives entrepreneurs access to a Claude Max licence for the six-week program to help them turn their ideas into a viable businessThis photograph shows the logo of the U.S. artificial intelligence safety and research company Anthropic displayed on a smartphone's screen in Brussels on June 10, 2026. Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP via Getty ImagesSan Francisco-based Anthropic PBC and a Toronto-based non-profit are teaming up on a program designed to teach Canadians how to use artificial intelligence to build one-person companies.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountThe partnership with Venture for Canada, announced on Thursday, will give entrepreneurs access to a Claude Max licence for the six-week program to help them turn their ideas into a viable one-person business.Venture for Canada chief executive Steven Wang said that the training will be comprehensive and include guidance on how to adopt the tech effectively and responsibly.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againAnthropic previously committed $10 million in Claude credits to Canadian research institutes in July. Canada’s three national AI institutes — Edmonton’s Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii), Quebec’s Mila and Toronto’s Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence — will receive $1 million each in credits to work on AI safety research and applying the tech to industries like robotics and healthcare.Anthropic will also provide at least US$5,000 in Claude credits to startups affiliated with the national AI institutes to help them build their businesses.OpenAI LLC has pursued a similar playbook, offering free credits for its AI tools to startups enrolled in Creative Destruction Lab, a non-profit accelerator for early stage science- and technology-focused startups. The ChatGPT maker said it will provide credits to more than 700 startups and work with a select group of “high-performing companies” to help them bring to market and scale their AI products.But some technology policy watchers say that there could be tradeoffs to such arrangements.Vass Bednar, managing director at the Canadian Shield Institute, a policy-focused think tank, said such arrangements entrench the positions of the leading AI labs and quash competition.“When technology firms offer free credits dressed up as investment, they are trying to set themselves up as a dominant player in this technology,” she said.Wendy Wong, a professor of political science at the University of British Columbia and author of We, the Data: Human Rights in the Digital Age, said the deals give Canadian companies access to advanced AI they may find expensive or difficult to access, but they could create dependencies on specific AI systems.The Canadian organizations partnering with the U.S. AI giants say that strategies are in place to ensure businesses aren’t locked into one model provider and to help ensure their gains stay in Canada.“Access is not dependence,” Ajay Agrawal, founder of the Creative Destruction Lab and a professor and Geoffrey Taber chair in entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Toronto, said. “Free credits lower the cost of experimentation, which is enormously valuable for startups.”This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.He also said CDL’s program is designed to nudge founders to treat the credits as a learning subsidy, and to retain ownership and control of key assets — such as data, technical intellectual property and workflows — so they have the option to switch model providers as the technology changes.“Canada does not need to own every layer of the AI stack,” he said. “Our economy will grow if Canadian companies own the scarce complements around AI.”Both Wang and Agrawal said their organizations are open to partnering with other AI model providers.“We don’t do exclusive agreements” that would lead to lock-in with one provider, Wang said.He said Venture for Canada is open to working with other AI players, including Toronto-based Cohere Inc., and is also partnering with Amii and Mila to offer AI tools to young entrepreneurs and SMBs.“We want to give folks exposure to a range of options of the best tools to empower Canadians to use AI responsibly,” Wang said.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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