CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Canadian computer scientists helped pioneer the field of artificial intelligence before it was a buzzword, and now Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hoping to capitalize on their intellectual lead.

“We’ve been investing massively in AI,” Trudeau told a conference of tech entrepreneurs Friday at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, before name-dropping several of the Canadian academics he said provided the underpinnings of the technology during an “AI winter” when most weren’t paying it much notice.

Trudeau has become a kind of marketer-in-chief for Canada’s tech economy ambitions, explaining the basics of machine learning as he promotes a national plan and government investments to “secure Canada’s foothold” in AI research and education.

He said Friday that Canada is making a “deliberate choice,” but not an easy choice, to embrace change at a time when new technology is disrupting workplaces and leading to anxiety and fear about the future. He said leaders also have a responsibility to shape the rules and principles to guide the development of artificial intelligence.

His visit headlined MIT’s Solve initiative, which connects innovators with corporate, government and academic resources to tackle world problems. He also spent time visiting a technology lab, chatting with engineers and asking pointed questions about hydroponics, neurology, robots and kids’ coding programs.