Microsoft Canada president Matt Milton is both optimistic about artificial intelligence and burdened by the responsibility of ensuring it remains secure, trusted and ultimately adopted by Canadians.
“AI will disrupt and change possibly every job that exists today,” the Ottawa native says — adding that Canadians need to adopt it, or risk being left behind.
At the same time, Milton is optimistic about the opportunities it offers to solve existing challenges and the new industries and roles it will create.
The question that remains, says Milton, is whether Canadians will embrace the opportunity, or let fear and skepticism keep them on the sidelines.
In a recent survey by Pew Research only nine per cent of Canadians said they were more excited than concerned about AI, the lowest proportion among the 25 nations surveyed.
“Canadians are reserved and skeptical about it, as they should be,” Milton says. “It is advancing all around the world already, and so Canadians have two choices; to push back on that global wave of transformation or adopt it and build the future we want.”
Microsoft has already made a firm commitment to the latter, pledging $7.5 billion over the next two years and $19 billion by 2027 to develop the technology on Canadian soil. The question that remains is whether Canadians will trust the technology, and the U.S.-headquartered firm to deliver it.
The Canadian subsidiary of Microsoft, one of the world’s largest technology firms, was established more than 40 years ago. Today Microsoft Canada employs more than 5,300 people across 11 offices in seven cities, who support more than 17,000 domestic partners.
In August, Milton was tapped to lead the organization through what he believes will be one of the company’s — and the world’s — most transformative periods following 19 years with IBM, and four with its technology infrastructure spinoff Kyndryl.
The Star spoke with Milton from Microsoft Canada’s headquarters in Toronto about the opportunities and challenges Canadians will face in the AI era, why they should trust the local branch of an American tech behemoth to champion the country’s data sovereignty, and why Canadians must embrace AI before it’s too late.
How did you first get into tech?
I would be overstating the career plan if I said I always wanted to work in the industry.
I love solving complicated problems, and when I was exposed to economics later I high school I realized that’s all it really is. I ended up studying economics at Western University and that really scratched that itch for me.
I loved my time at school and considered a more academic path through economics, but then a great opportunity with IBM came up.
What kept you at IBM for the next two decades?
I didn’t plan it that way, but I was grateful for the chance to solve meaningful problems. As soon as it started to feel boring, I’d be given another opportunity to solve more, not just in Canada but around the world.
The first half of my career was through the financial analyst stream, getting bigger roles, and going to the U.S. to understand how a large global organization runs. After ten years, I went to Denmark to run IBM’s Northern European business, and then I returned to New York to run businesses there, first in the communications market, and then I ran our financial services business.
We had a business unit called Global Technology Services, and it was responsible for running large IT departments on behalf of customers. In 2020, we decided to turn it into an independent, publicly traded company, and I went with it. We listed on the New York Stock Exchange near the end of 2021, and I really loved my time there and the people I worked with.
Why did you join Microsoft last summer?
I loved the opportunity to work all over the world, but I’m a proud Canadian, and as my career progressed, it became a dream to run a technology business here. Microsoft is a wonderful company, and we’re staring at a real inflection point as the AI transformation unfolds.
I am equal parts optimistic and burdened by the responsibility. I get to spend every day with CEOs and heads of government, health care systems and universities, and it’s hard not to be optimistic when you see what people are building with AI.
At the same time, I’m a father of three, and there’s no question AI is fundamentally transformational. We all face the burden of ensuring we build a future that I’d be proud to hand over to them.
Are Canadians skeptical of AI?
Canadians are rightfully reserved and skeptical about it, and my only mission here is to build the trusted platform for innovation in the long-term. The only way you do that is making decisions in the best interest of Canadians every single day.
Microsoft has been here for 40 years, we have more than 5,000 Canadian employees, and we all feel responsible to ensure this platform is trusted and adopted. So how do we do that?
First, we’ve been very open about the investment we’re making around building capacity, security and encryption in Canada, and really facing the sustainability challenges that come with any build of this size head-on.
I recently had the honour to tour the Quebec City data centre we’re in the process of building, creating thousands of jobs. We made a commitment to be carbon negative by 2030, long before we knew the size of these projects and we haven’t wavered from that.
We welcome the skepticism because it highlights the challenges that need to be solved for people to feel comfortable using this capability. And man, when they do, the problems they solve are inspiring.
Can you give some examples?
I would point to Hero AI and the work being done there with Microsoft to accelerate the speed of care for kids going through a mental health crisis. That’s a very real and personal challenge for all parents, and not something that could be done before AI.
Another one is we know the amount of effort, skilling and talent that goes into creating a physician in this country, and they’re burnt out. It’s a never-ending stream of challenges for them, and there are some wonderful things being done. For example, The Ottawa Hospital is cutting administration work by 70 per cent so they can focus on patient care, which leads to less burnout.
Or the wonderful work being done by WSP, a large engineering firm that’s found a way to use AI to cut permitting time from months to days to foster innovation and create jobs.
These are all things that make meaningful change in the lives of everyday Canadians.
Speaking of jobs, are Canadians right to fear AI-driven job losses?
AI is a reality. It is advancing all around the world already, and so Canadians have two choices; to push back on that global wave of transformation, or adopt it and build the future we want, creating jobs and industries that don’t exist yet.
I don’t want to be flippant. I recognize and empathize with the disruption to the jobs that exist today, and the only way I see my way through that is by ensuring all Canadians get a chance to build the jobs of the future.
Why is Microsoft investing billions in Canada?
To meet the demand, we need to build new AI data centres. As the technology evolves, there is more that you can do if it’s built on Canadian soil; more security, more encryption, more capabilities.
We must advocate on behalf of Canadians every single day and demonstrate our willingness to fight against data requests that may come from outside of the country.
Security, sovereignty and sustainability are so important, because if people don’t fundamentally trust the capabilities and the technologies, they’re not going to adopt it, and they’re not going to build on it.
Why should Canadians trust an American-owned company to protect its sovereignty?
I am unapologetically focused on building the long-term trusted platform for innovation here in Canada. I can’t do that by breaking the trust of Canadians.
We’re bringing technology capabilities that keep, for example, encryption completely outside of Microsoft. I cannot access your encrypted data. We’re trying to address these rightful concerns so Canadians can feel comfortable adopting it. I welcome the skepticism and I don’t want anyone to think that we are dismissing the questions they have.
I would hope the real commitment Microsoft has made in Canada speaks for itself. These are meaningful investments, and I would hope that shows the immense opportunity we see in Canada, the role we think Canada can play on the global stage, and our commitment to ensuring we build within the values of Canada.
It is not in the Canadian nature to recognize how great we are at certain things, but first and foremost, we must recognize this all started here in Toronto. We built these capabilities, and we have some incredible homegrown AI champions. I am inspired by what is being built, and I want to see more Canadians building things with Canadian values.
In this world of instability, Canada is a beacon of light, the country is already playing an outsized role in building the future, and Canadians should be proud of that.
