Being Black in AI in Canada: New Report Calls for Inclusion of Afrocentric AI Governance and an Innovation Fund
Being Black in AI
The report finds that while ACB Canadians represent 4.3 percent of the population, they hold less than two percent of AI leadership positions and face a wage gap of 10 to 18 percent in tech roles. Less than one percent of venture capital funding reaches Black-founded AI startups, and facial recognition systems continue to demonstrate accuracy disparities across skin tones.
A New Vision: Afrocentric and Afrodiasporic AI
The report proposes a fundamental shift in how AI is conceived and governed, one that elevates Afrocentric and Afrodiasporic knowledge systems, including relationality, agency, community consensus, and collective benefit. It calls for the development of legislated ACB Community Data Principles, learning from First Nations OCAP® frameworks, to ensure Black communities govern data collected about them and benefit from AI systems trained on that data.
Recommendations
The report urges the government to amend the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act to include mandatory Equity and Human Rights Impact Assessments, condition public funding on race-disaggregated reporting, and legislate minimum ACB representation on all public AI advisory bodies. It also calls on universities to integrate African and Caribbean philosophical traditions into AI ethics curricula and to bridge the 50 percent attrition rate of Black students from undergraduate to PhD levels.
The report proposed $100 million Black Innovation and AI Fund to provide patient capital and grants for ACB-led AI startups.
A 36-Month Roadmap
It offers a phased implementation roadmap for policymakers, industry, and academia, with milestones including mandatory demographic reporting, expanded fellowship programs, and the establishment of Canada as a global leader in inclusive AI governance.
The 38-page report was initiated in April 2025 and produced entirely by volunteers as a civic contribution during a period of rapid AI development. Based on its findings, the CanAfro Research Institute is now working to develop a series of training, workshop, and educational programs to advance systemic change across Canada’s AI ecosystem.
The full report is available at https://www.canafroinstitute.com/l/being-black-in-ai-evidence-trends-and-policy-futures-at-the-intersection-of-artificial-intelligence-and-african-caribbean-and-black-communities-in-canada/
Media Contact:
CanAfro Research Institute
contact@canafroinstitute.com
www.canafroinstitute.com
About CanAfro Research Institute:
The CanAfro Research Institute is a research and action nonprofit focusing on African, Caribbean and Black communities in Canada.
CanAfro Research Institute
CanAfro Research Institute
contact@canafroinstitute.com
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
