TORONTO (TIP): The Consulate General of India in Toronto hosted the ‘India-Canada AI Dialogue 2026’ in partnership with the University of Waterloo, Canada India Tech Council, and Zoho Inc, as a precursor to one of the biggest AI Summits in Global South – the ‘India AI Impact Summit 2026’.
The event gathered over 600 leaders from industry, academia, and government to advance bilateral AI collaboration, focusing on responsible, ethical, and impact-driven technology ahead of the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026.
Honorable Evan Solomon (Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, Canada) was the Keynote Speaker: The high level dialogue was addressed, among others, by Mr. Dinesh K. Patnaik (High Commissioner of India to Canada), Mr. Kapidhwaja Pratap Singh (Acting Consul General of India in Toronto), Honorable Victor Fedeli (Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation & Trade, Ontario), Prof. Vivek Goel (President & VC, University of Waterloo) and several distinguished speakers and leaders across the AI ecosystem.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford sent a message that framed the dialogue within a broader relationship across trade, investment and research.
“India and Canada share a deep and 1 longstanding partnership, one built on robust trade and investment, people-to-people ties and research partnerships in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence,” said Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, Canada.
Ford also addressed the consulate’s convening role in Toronto.
“Many thanks to the Consulate General of India in Toronto for convening this important gathering and for its continued leadership in fostering collaboration between our jurisdictions,” said Ford.
The discussions focused on ethical, inclusive AI for societal benefit, with potential partnerships in MedTech, logistics, and operations, as highlighted by Aliza Lakhani and LinkedIn users.
The event aimed to bridge the Canadian research ecosystem with India’s data scale to drive AI innovation.
The organizers said the dialogue set out themes for continued bilateral work and that the Canadian delegation expected to travel to the New Delhi summit and co-chair a working group on science.
(Based on a Press Release issued by the Indian Consulate General in Toronto)