Closer AI co-operation between Canada and Germany is welcome and needed, Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil told reporters, in German. “I have no interest in the future of artificial intelligence being determined exclusively by people like Elon Musk or Peter Thiel.” Startups and scaleups need large markets to grow, he said, and by combining Europe with “friendly states” like Canada, “we really have reach.” (The Logic)

Talking point: Klingbeil was speaking after touring a Bombardier plant with Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne in Mississauga, Ont., on Friday morning. Champagne cited Cohere’s merger with German AI firm Aleph Alpha as an example of bilateral industrial co-operation. “The best way for us to succeed is to partner,” he said. Klingbeil’s two-day visit comes as Ottawa is trying to assemble a middle-power alliance to counter the Trump administration’s disruption. The ministers discussed energy, critical minerals and defence supply chains. On Friday afternoon, they led a corporate roundtable at CIBC with executives from the likes of BMW, Cohere, CPP Investments, Cyclic Materials, La Caisse, PSP Investments, OpenText and Tim Hortons. There, Klingbeil reiterated the need for international collaboration in AI to ensure sovereignty. “We cannot allow ourselves to become dependent on a handful of powerful companies,” he said.