CBJ JUNE 2026

11 CANADA’S AI ECONOMY: GOVERNANCE, TRUST, AND THE FUTURE OF WORK JUNE 2026 « The Canadian Business Journal 10 A rtificial intelligence is already changing how work is done in Canada, but the bigger shift is still unfolding in how companies organize labour, design jobs, and decide how many people they actually need. The focus is often on breakthroughs in capability, but the more immediate story is structural. AI IS CHANGING how work is organized, how firms operate, and how value is distributed across the economy. It is also exposing gaps in governance, trust, and institutional readiness. Canada is entering a period where productivity gains from AI are increasingly visible at the firm level, yet the broader economic and social systems that need to absorb these changes are still adapting. The result is a transition that is already underway but not yet fully understood in its long term implications. The emergence of hybrid work structures As AI becomes more embedded in business processes, many roles are evolving into hybrid systems where humans and machines work together. In this structure, AI performs large portions of routine cognitive processing while humans focus on oversight, judgment, and context. This is already visible in sectors such as finance, marketing, law, and software development. AI systems assist with drafting, analysis, and information retrieval, while professionals validate outputs and make final decisions. The role of the worker shifts from