A new report from Statistics Canada shows that while the COVID-19 pandemic forced many Canadian businesses to move their operations online – and while digital indicators today remain higher than levels reported prior to the pandemic – some have fallen from pandemic peaks.

The Survey of Digital Technology and Internet Use, 2023, found that the use of artificial intelligence increased notably since the survey was last conducted in 2021. Seven per cent of Canadian businesses with five or more employees used software or hardware with AI, up three per cent relative to the previous survey’s results.

Generative AI 

“About three in four (73 per cent) businesses using AI technologies used generative AI in 2023. This was the most commonly used type, followed by automatic speech recognition technologies (26 per cent) and technologies that automate workflows or assist in decision making (25 per cent),” reads the report. “Nearly two-thirds of businesses using AI reported that these technologies were only used by a few employees (64 per cent), while more than one-quarter (27 per cent) said these technologies were used by a few teams or more.” 

Cloud computing 

The most commonly used information and communication technology used in 2023 was cloud computing – reported by 48 per cent of businesses, a three per cent increase over 2021 figures.

Looking at business size, the report explains that large businesses were the most likely to use AI technology in 2023; 26 per cent of large businesses report using the technology, compared to eight per cent of medium businesses and six per cent of small businesses that said the same.

The report concludes saying several digitalization indicators have stabilized or declined since 2021. Among them, they say e-commerce sales were not significantly different when compared to 2021 and 2019 figures. The percentage of businesses offering employees the option to telework, meanwhile – about 28 per cent of those surveyed between November 2023 and March 2024 – offered employees the option to telework in 2023. This is up from the 19 per cent who said the same in 2019 but down from the 33 per cent of employers who offered teleworking as an option in 2021.