Insider Brief
- Google Canada has awarded a $5 million CAD grant to the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) to train 125,000 post-secondary students in foundational AI skills through a new national curriculum initiative.
- The funding will enable Amii to form a 25-member consortium of post-secondary institutions across Canada, helping faculty embed accessible AI content into existing courses to address the country’s AI adoption gap.
- Google-backed efforts aim to bridge any gaps in AI innovation in Canada, preparing a future-ready workforce as AI is projected to add $230 billion to Canada’s economy.
PRESS RELEASE – Google Canada announced a $5 million CAD Google.org grant to the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii), a leading artificial intelligence research institute, to equip Canadian post-secondary students with essential AI skills to prepare them for the future of work. This initiative aims to address the growing AI skills gap in Canada and bolster the country’s AI-driven economy.
With the funding, Amii will establish a national consortium composed of 25 post-secondary institutions across Canada. This consortium will develop easy-to-use AI curriculum materials, allowing faculty to seamlessly integrate AI concepts into existing courses and reach 125,000 students across the country.
“Canada has an incredible opportunity to translate decades of AI research excellence into fundamental AI literacy skills for a generation of post-secondary students because of the generous support of Google.org,” said Cam Linke, CEO of Amii. “Amii is proud to lead the effort to build a national AI Workforce Readiness Consortium to empower Canadian students with the fundamental literacy skills they need to succeed in an AI-driven economy. From colleges and polytechnics to U15 Canadian research universities and Indigenous PSE institutes, we’re ready to support educators with access to curriculum resources across faculties, programs and domains.”
Canada has been at the forefront of AI research, and is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the transformative potential of AI – with a strong research network, thriving startup ecosystem and established tech companies driving AI innovation. The opportunity is significant, as Public First’s latest Economic Impact Report on Google Canada estimates that generative AI could boost Canada’s economy by $230 billion and save the average worker over 175 hours a year.
However, despite its research leadership, Canada lags in AI adoption, which is a key component in achieving these transformative results. The first step in reversing that trend is increasing AI skills, knowledge and confidence. Fortunately, Canadians are up to the challenge, as the same Economic Impact Report found that 63 per cent of Canadian workers are interested in acquiring AI skills, with interest rising to 72 per cent among young Canadians.
“Entering the workforce with AI skills can help Canadian students navigate the rapidly changing job market,” said Sabrina Geremia, VP & Country Managing Director, Google Canada. “Google is proud to support Amii’s initiative that will not only benefit 125,000 students directly, but will also help the organizations that hire them put AI to work in improving their productivity, efficiency and growth. Supporting organizations like Amii is part of Google’s commitment to shaping a future where AI benefits everyone across Canada.
