Calgary (Rajeev Sharma): The Alberta government is investing $10 million over three years into a new Health Innovation Lab aimed at accelerating the use of artificial intelligence in the province’s healthcare system to improve patient outcomes and reduce wait times.
The initiative will be delivered through the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute), enabling up to 12 projects annually focused on developing, testing, and scaling AI-driven health solutions. The program is designed to bring together medical innovators and AI researchers to create technologies that improve system efficiency and expand healthcare capacity.
Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish said the program represents a major opportunity to combine Alberta’s healthcare system with world-leading AI expertise. He stated the goal is to reduce wait times, expand capacity, and develop new diagnostics, therapies, and treatments that improve care for Albertans. Officials say the Health Innovation Lab will work through challenge calls aligned with provincial healthcare priorities, with projects selected from proposals submitted to Amii. The Alberta government emphasizes that the province’s health system will be the first to access these innovations, with successful tools potentially scaling beyond Alberta in the future.
Cam Linke, CEO of Amii, said the initiative bridges research and frontline care by turning advanced AI into practical clinical tools. He noted that applying technical expertise directly to healthcare priorities will help improve both patient experience and economic growth through Alberta-made innovation. The program is being delivered in collaboration with Alberta’s health ministries, ensuring secure access to health data and compliance with provincial privacy laws. Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Matt Jones said reliable data is essential for informed healthcare decisions and system improvement.
Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange added that investing in responsible AI innovation will strengthen Alberta’s healthcare system and position the province as a leader in next-generation medical technology.
The province says the program builds on Alberta’s growing artificial intelligence ecosystem and is expected to deliver both improved healthcare outcomes and long-term economic benefits through commercialization of locally developed technology.
