Bell is teaming up with Toronto-based AI company Cohere to bring secure, Canadian-based artificial intelligence tools to governments and businesses across the country.
In a statement issued to iPhone in Canada, Bell said the deal is meant to deliver “full-stack sovereign AI solutions,” meaning everything will be kept in Canada—from data to infrastructure—without relying on foreign platforms.
Cohere’s most advanced AI tools will be offered through Bell’s AI Fabric, including a platform called North, which lets users create and manage AI agents (kind of like custom bots or digital assistants). Large companies and government departments will get access to the full version, while smaller businesses will see a more basic version released later this year.
“This is a critical time for Canada,” said Bell CEO Mirko Bibic on Monday. “We’re proud to partner with Cohere to create a sovereign, full-stack AI solution… while ensuring that the data remains secure and within Canada.”
Bell will also use North internally to help staff automate tasks using Bell’s own data. The telecom becomes Cohere’s go-to provider for Canadian AI infrastructure, and Cohere will be Bell’s preferred provider for large language models (LLMs) and agent-based AI tools. Cohere has proprietary LLMs, with the most recent being its Command A and Command R+ models.
Bell said this will give Canadian organizations a “turnkey solution” for using advanced AI while keeping data secure and housed locally. The setup includes secure data centres, network protection, and tech services under Bell’s brand Ateko.
Evan Solomon, Canada’s newly minted Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, praised the move, saying it shows Canadian innovation at work and will “help strengthen our position on the global stage.”
Back in May, Bell launched its AI Fabric, which it said was a major investment to build the country’s largest AI compute network.