The 'Non-Tech' Fallacy: Why AI Training for Established Businesses Ignores the Gatekeepers
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
Saskatchewan's Co.Labs is expanding its reach to help traditional businesses adopt AI, but the focus on 'non-tech' companies reveals a deeper gap in who gets to be a 'tech founder' in the first place.
### Opinion: The Barrier is the Door, Not the Software
There is a specific kind of corporate alchemy currently happening in the Canadian tech ecosystem: the attempt to turn "non-tech" businesses into tech companies through the magic of AI adoption. On the surface, it looks like inclusion. In reality, it is a distraction from the systemic barriers that determine who is allowed into the incubator door to begin with.
By focusing on the "adoption" of tools by existing power structures, we ignore the exclusion that happens at the seed stage. The real question isn't how to teach an established firm to use a chatbot; it's why marginalized entrepreneurs were never given the venture capital or mentorship to start those firms as tech-native companies.
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### The Push for Provincial AI Adoption
As BetaKit first reported, Co.Labs—Saskatchewan’s first tech incubator—is shifting its strategy to move beyond its traditional, tech-exclusive programming. The organization, based in Saskatoon and operating for nine years, is now offering AI adoption training specifically tailored for small- and medium-sized businesses.
Jonathan Lipoth, the executive director of Co.Labs, announced the initiative via LinkedIn, stating the goal is to "help non-tech companies use AI like a tech company." Lipoth told BetaKit the expansion was driven by "market pull" from partners outside the tech sector.
The program targets management or executive teams with some technical savvy who lack a roadmap to integrate AI across non-technical departments. The training is available throughout the province, including Regina, Saskatoon, and rural communities via remote offerings. Early participants span the agriculture, manufacturing, and accounting sectors.
Co.Labs is developing a case study repository and offering ad-hoc advisory roles. Technical training is delivered by staff and priced by company size, though Lipoth told BetaKit that Co.Labs will host free workshops this autumn, including at the Memo Festival in Saskatoon this October.
While most programming remains focused on tech startups, Lipoth argues that helping local businesses stay competitive provides them more "optionality and control" to remain local, ultimately helping the broader Saskatchewan and Canadian tech ecosystems thrive.