The facility will create 30 jobs for data scientists, engineers and machine-learning architects. It will focus on research and development in AI and automation. (BetaKit)

Talking point: Montreal is an attractive destination for international tech companies looking for AI talent, but Canada isn’t necessarily reaping the benefits. In December 2018, my colleague Zane reported that Canada is the only jurisdiction among the top 10 by AI patents filed to see a decrease in the number of patents applied for every year between 2016 and 2018. Part of that decrease comes from foreign firms acquiring Canadian ones which then focus their patent efforts abroad. For example, Microsoft acquired Maluuba in 2017 to expand its AI research efforts in Montreal, and a recent UN study reported that the company has 5,930 AI patents. An analysis from Waterloo IP lawyer Jim Hinton found that government funding for AI often goes to foreign companies that retain ownership of patents, even though they’re filed by researchers working in Canada.