How Atlantic Canadian Companies Use AI

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With the surge in artificial intelligence (AI) across industries around the world, some Atlantic Canadian companies are embracing integration into their operations, while others are using this new technology to build completely new ventures.

For example, Agronomai, based in Bay Fortune, offers advanced drone solutions for optimizing agriculture.

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The venture was founded by training agriculture scholar Chad Mooney (PEIAA), a senior drone pilot and civil engineer. We provide services such as drone seed and spray, field mapping, drone technology training, and more using “80% Science and 20% Art.”

Novaresp Technologies is another example of AI integration in major industries – health care. The Halifax-based company's biggest innovation is CMAP®. This is patented software that promises to improve the comfort and compliance of traditional CPAP machines.

In a news release in April 2025, Hamed Hanafi, founder and CEO of Novaresp, said:

Meanwhile, NL-based Colab software, St. John's, is reinventing the way engineering teams work together to design. AI tool “Review AI” has useful feedback on documents, organization, and surfaces, allowing engineering teams to learn from past mistakes and make better design decisions.

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“Atlantic Canada is thriving with a technological innovation ecosystem, and AI plays a key role in most of the startups today,” said Colin Conrad, co-director of the University of Digital Transformation and an associate professor in the Department of Business Administration at Dalhousie University.

The benefits of AI could be tied to these industries as marine technology, health and a wide range of IT products are areas that tend to produce widely per Conrad.

However, experts say there is more scope and depth when it comes to meaningful adoption of AI in Atlantic Canadian businesses and industries.

Barriers to AI adoption in the Atlantic Canada

“I think Canada is often at the forefront when it comes to the theory behind artificial intelligence,” said Christian Bruin, Associate Dean of the Department of Computer Science and Institutional Lead, Dalhousie University's AI Strategy.

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However, the same cannot be said about adoption.

Blouin believes this is because most Canadian companies are small and medium-sized businesses that don't have the necessary skills when it comes to meaningful integration of AI.

It's not just about adding chat boxes to your business processes, but also about moving beyond doing more impactful things with AI – What small and medium-sized businesses are trying to do.

What other barriers are there?

Iaian Archibald, executive director of Deepsense, believes that other factors may be active.

Housed in Dalhousie's Department of Computer Science, Deepsense actually fills the skills gaps when it comes to AI adoption in the private and public sectors.

More specifically, the company offers its vision to grow the Canadian marine economy with AI expertise and talent.

Marine-related companies can connect to the data and oceanographic world to leverage AI and machine learning in the development of commercially useful predictive models, analytical prototypes and applications for use in the marine economy.

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Archibald explained that when it comes to AI adoption, self-satisfaction and comfort are two reasons why Canada, particularly NS, is behind.

“We don't feel the same pressure to innovate or change because Canada and Nova Scotia are the best places to live,” he said.

Sectors that control our economy – Natural resources, government, academia – Archibald said it doesn't deal with a lot of the pressure from the competition.

According to Archibald, adaptation to the accelerated world is further hampered by “consequences are focused on bureaucrats, bureaucrats like unions, processes focusing on social institutions like unions, and social institutions like unions.”

According to Archibald, there's no need to look at AI adoption to see the impact of technological change and not keeping up to the pace of chronic investment.

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A good example is that productivity and real wages do not match the rise in cost of living.

“The slow adoption of AI is a symptom of a much bigger problem in our economy, social structure and culture,” Archibald said.

Future path

According to Conrad, tissues can start with four low hanging fruits that can be relatively easily implemented.

First of all, businesses can use AI to get feedback on how to make social media posts and other communication materials more impactful.

“Everyone writes social media posts using generative AI in which dogs are writing social media posts,” Conrad said.

However, he explained that using AI to understand how to make your posts stand out and find different ideas to improve the impact can actually help your business.

Second, small businesses can get the help of computer code to do things they once thought impossible.

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“For example, my business students often use Genai to write basic computer code to access data or application programming interfaces. This allows them to analyze financial markets and business data on a much larger scale.” “Companies can do the same.”

Third, companies can learn to use virtual agents in ways that complement humans, and not replace them, Conrad added. You're increasing efficiency, he explained, but you're taking advantage of the “social presence that people have when they think they're involved.”

Finally, small businesses can use text and data summary tools to sift through a large number of reports and receive recommendations, Conrad said. It makes it easy to automate writing, response and compliance processes.

“This technology can do some of the heavy lifting to help you focus on what you want to do.”

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We should not come at the expense of real people

According to Conrad, AI adoption doesn't have to come at the expense of people-focused businesses.

“When businesses use AI to automate things they don't want to do, if they can spend more time focused on people (such as caring for people, face-to-face interactions), there are huge benefits for customers.”

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Archibald said that even a higher level is necessary.

Everyone has a play role from governments that nurture an environment that allows organizations to adopt new technology in strong leadership at all levels of society.

“At every level of our society, we need strong leadership that communicates that people's organizational expectations and adopts AI tools in their daily workflows and operations in their individual jobs,” explained Archibald.

It is important to understand that AI is not a replacement for people, but those who use AI, according to experts, replace those who don't.

“There's little time to make a decision. The AI ​​system's capabilities double every six months,” he added.

“The longer you spend your hesitance, the less options you have.”

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