Artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies are changing how Canadians work, do business, and interact with each other. Announced as part of Budget 2025, TechStat is a new initiative led by Statistics Canada. It will measure how AI and emerging technologies are being used in Canada, and how they are affecting the economy, the labour market, and society more broadly.
At its core, TechStat aims to provide Canadians and decision‑makers with clear, trustworthy data about what is changing, where, and how quickly those changes are unfolding.
Why technology measurement matters
AI is advancing quickly, and its impacts are already being felt. In Canada, AI adoption among businesses has accelerated in recent years.
According to Statistics Canada's own research into AI adoption, 19.2% of Canadian firms used AI to produce goods or deliver services in 2026—up seven percentage points from the previous year.Footnote 1 Despite this momentum, much of the public conversation about AI relies on anecdotes, privately sponsored studies, or partial snapshots.
Good decisions by governments, businesses, educators, and workers, depend on good data. TechStat exists to ensure Canada is making data-driven choices. By providing evidence with a rigorous methodology, the program provides Canadians with a better understanding of both the opportunities and challenges that come with technological change.
What TechStat will measure
TechStat builds on Statistics Canada's earlier work on technology and innovation but goes further by measuring the context around which organizations are adopting AI. It brings together multiple data sources, including surveys and administrative data, to create a more complete picture.
The program has five main areas of focus:
- Business technology adoption and use, including how businesses are using AI, the benefits and challenges they face, and how AI is changing jobs and workplaces.
- Technology adoption and use by Canadians, such as access and use of digital technology, trust in AI, and digital skills.
- AI use in the workplace, looking directly at how workers use AI in their day‑to‑day tasks, what helps or hinders its use, and the tasks it's most commonly used for.
- Federal government technology and AI adoption, looking at how technology and AI are being used in the federal government.
- Economic impacts, insights and analysis on AI, connecting how technology use relates to productivity, innovation, and the economy.
Bringing these different sources of information together will provide a more complete picture of how technology is affecting Canadians, businesses, and governments.
When Canadians will see results
TechStat officially launched at the end of 2025. Its first insights from Labour Force Survey supplements on AI use in the workplace will be published in summer 2026. Additional data will follow on an annual or biannual basis, as well as insights from integrated data products.
Over time, this will create a consistent picture of how emerging technologies are shaping life in Canada, including regional and sector‑specific insights where possible.
What this means for Canadians
AI and other emerging technologies are changing many aspects of daily life. TechStat helps Canadians better understand those changes by providing reliable, objective information about where technologies are being adopted, how they are being used, and the impacts they are having on people, businesses, and communities across Canada.
Whether you are a student considering future careers, an employee wondering how AI will impact your job, a business owner planning for the future, or a policy maker shaping regulations to encourage the safe use of AI, better data helps everyone make more informed decisions.