\t\tRead: 3 min<\/p>\n
In an industry that runs on hype and grand gestures, Canadian AI firm Cohere is charting a different course from Silicon Valley. No talk of superintelligent machines, no public feuding, just one question: can it make money?<\/p>\n
\u201cCohere is a very low drama company,\u201d chief AI officer Joelle Pineau said in a recent interview, noting that she counts many friends at OpenAI and Anthropic \u2014 and that Cohere is quite different.<\/p>\n
The company was co-founded in Toronto in 2019 by Aidan Gomez, an AI researcher who co-authored a seminal paper that laid the foundations for modern AI systems, underscoring the central role of the Canadian AI research ecosystem in the field\u2019s development.<\/p>\n
Pineau, who joined Cohere last year after nearly eight years leading Meta\u2019s Fundamental AI Research lab, said the company\u2019s understated approach extends to one of the hottest buzzwords in the industry: artificial general intelligence, or AGI, the hypothetical point at which AI surpasses human intelligence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t spend a lot of time talking about AGI,\u201d Pineau said, dismissing the theorizing as a distraction.<\/p>\n
Instead, she said, the company rallies around a decidedly less glamorous slogan \u2014 \u201cROI over AGI\u201d \u2014 a reference to the return on investment that has yet to materialize across much of the cash-burning AI industry.<\/p>\n
Pineau said the company\u2019s focus on business clients shapes how the firm thinks about AI risk, cutting through what she described as fear-mongering around hypothetical scenarios.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a number of people who\u2019ve gone around and essentially made people scared of AI as opposed to really understanding the real risks,\u201d she said, arguing that time spent catastrophizing could be better spent addressing tangible safety challenges.<\/p>\n
Those real risks, she said, include workforce disruption, data privacy and infrastructure security \u2014 concerns that Cohere\u2019s enterprise customers in financial services, health care and government are actively grappling with.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are worried whether that\u2019s going to impact their jobs, their ability to have a livelihood,\u201d Pineau said. \u201cThese are completely legitimate questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the competitive threat from Chinese AI models, she pushed back against alarmist framing while acknowledging security considerations. The risk of malicious code injection through AI-generated software, she noted, is not unique to any one country.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not only the Chinese who can do this \u2014 any developer who decides that they want to do this\u201d has mechanisms to do so, she said, adding that robust safety practices were good hygiene regardless of a model\u2019s origin.<\/p>\n
\u2018Spicy takes\u2019<\/p>\n
Pineau said Cohere was well-positioned to capitalize on demand from European and Asian markets wary of dependence on U.S. technology platforms.<\/p>\n
The company last month announced a deal to acquire German AI firm Aleph Alpha, creating a combined entity valued at around $20 billion with dual headquarters in Toronto and Berlin.<\/p>\n
The deal, backed by both the Canadian and German governments, is designed to position Cohere as a sovereign alternative for businesses to American AI giants in the European market, as well as in Asia.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the geopolitical context, some of them are afraid of just getting locked out of U.S. tech solutions,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are more than happy to offer an alternative.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Cohere will continue to call Toronto its global home, Pineau said the company\u2019s ambitions stretch well beyond its borders. With offices in San Francisco, New York, London and Paris \u2014 and now a deepening presence in Germany \u2014 the goal is unambiguously international.<\/p>\n
Still, she suggested the founders\u2019 origins might leave a lasting imprint on the firm\u2019s character.
\u201cThere may be some particular Canadian folklore that comes with it \u2014 some of the values of the co-founders that are going to permeate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Asked whether leaning into splashier narratives \u2014 like rivals\u2019 warnings of AI doom \u2014 might attract more investor attention and generate more publicity, Pineau suggested wryly that \u201cmaybe we\u2019d get a lot more air time\u201d by playing along.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe we\u2019ll try some spicy takes once in a while,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
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