Latest news with #AlbertaMachineIntelligenceInstitute
Cision Canada
4 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Google Canada announces $13 Million AI Opportunity Fund to strengthen Canada's AI workforce Français
funding will support four local organizations, offering AI skills training to more than two million Canadians TORONTO, June 4, 2025 /CNW/ - Google Canada announced an AI Opportunity Fund, which will provide $13 million to four Canadian organizations providing AI skills development and training across the country. The AI Opportunity Fund is providing support to the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, the First Nations Technology Council, Skills for Change, and the Toronto Public Library, to scale their best-in-class workforce development programs. Together, these organizations will reach more than two million Canadians with AI training, helping ensure they are equipped to succeed in an AI-powered economy. "AI is transforming the way we work and can empower people across almost every field," said Sabrina Geremia, VP & Country Managing Director for Google Canada. "Canada is uniquely positioned to capture the immense AI opportunity, by putting this technology to work. The AI Opportunity Fund will help upskill Canadians nationwide, strengthen our workforce, and prepare Canadians for an AI-powered economy." The AI Opportunity Fund will support the following initiatives: Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute will provide post-secondary students across Canada with foundational AI skills to better adapt to emerging technologies and address the growing AI skills gap in Canada's workforce. First Nations Technology Council will train Indigenous students and provide AI resources to Indigenous community members, with the goal of increasing the number of Indigenous workers in technology. Skills for Change will develop AI skills programs to train individuals from communities facing high unemployment. This initiative will equip participants with foundational AI literacy through hands-on, industry-relevant curriculum, creating pathways to meaningful employment. Toronto Public Library will address the digital divide by launching a city-wide AI upskilling initiative to provide community members with access to free tools, AI skills training and programming to support employment, boost productivity and encourage safe, informed use of AI. Canada is well positioned to succeed in an AI-powered future, with a rich history of groundbreaking AI research and a dynamic startup ecosystem. According to Public First's Economic Impact Report on Google Canada, generative AI could boost Canada's economy by $230 billion, and could save the average Canadian worker over 175 hours a year. This will bring immense opportunities – but it's not guaranteed. The first step is building Canadians' AI skills, knowledge and confidence. Canadians are up to the challenge – the same report found 63 per cent of Canadian workers are interested in acquiring AI skills, with interest rising to 72 per cent among young Canadians. This funding builds on Google's existing digital and AI skilling initiatives in Canada such as Google Career Certificates and other Grow with Google programs. Quotes: "In today's digital economy, it's encouraging to see global leaders like supporting Ontario's workforce. Their support for the AI Opportunity Fund will equip workers with the skills needed to seize the jobs of tomorrow—and ensures Ontario remains competitive in a fast-changing world." - The Honorouble David Piccini, Ontario Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development "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 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 equitable access to curriculum resources across faculties, programs and domains." - Cam Linke, CEO, Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute " commitment to supporting AI training programs for Indigenous Peoples represents a meaningful step toward reconciliation by supporting the adoption and innovation of emerging technologies. This initiative enables collaboration with all 204 First Nations in British Columbia, empowering communities to leverage AI for nation-building while driving economic growth and fostering technology-enabled efficiencies that benefit Indigenous Peoples and Canada as a whole." - Natiea Vinson, CEO, First Nations Technology Council "Our new AI skilling project, made possible through generous support, represents a transformative opportunity to bridge the digital divide and create equitable access to the future of work. We are proud to receive support for this ground-breaking initiative and look forward to shaping a more inclusive and prosperous future together." - Surranna Sandy, CEO, Skills for Change "As AI rapidly transforms our world, it's crucial that members of society understand and have the skills and abilities to shape and leverage these changes. Through generous funding, we will launch an AI Upskilling Initiative, focused on the responsible and ethical use of AI and bring tools, resources and learning opportunities to TPL customers." - Vickery Bowles, City Librarian, Toronto Public Library About Google Canada Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Google Cloud, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google Canada has offices in Waterloo, Toronto, Montreal,Ottawa and remotely across the country with employees working on teams across Engineering, AI Research, Sales and Marketing.
Edmonton Journal
20-05-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton AI conference sells out of tickets in its fourth year running
Cam Linke is a leader in Canada's technology and startup community and CEO of Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute. His research is focused on AI adapting behaviours to improve their own self-learning. Linke was at Upper Bound, the AI conference at the Edmonton Convention Centre on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Photo by Shaughn Butts / Postmedia For the first time since its inception, Upper Bound AI Conference was sold out with more than 6,000 attendees flocking to the Edmonton Convention Centre for opening on Tuesday to learn more about the colossal industry that keeps growing, including a new grant from Google Canada. 'It's definitely bigger than we thought it was going to be four years ago,' said Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (AMII) CEO Cam Linke. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors When AMII first started its annual AI conference, it was initially just simply called 'AI Week,' recalled Linke, and the whole conference was held at the AMII office, which was able to host the smaller crowd from the early days. Several years later, and now known across Canada as Upper Bound, the conference is well-respected by researchers, investors and businesses alike, with an expanding crowd reflective of the growth in the industry. Part of the surge in the industry was an announcement by Google Canada that a $5 million grant will be given to AMII to help foster greater integration of AI education into post-secondary curricula across the country. The key to the announcement for Linke was to ensure AI literacy across different disciplines. 'Regardless of the degree or diploma, you're coming out with a solid understanding and literacy in AI, so you can start to leverage that in your job going forward,' said Linke. Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We need as many informed voices in the discussion as possible as we're deciding as a country on what the impact of AI is going to be, and how we're going to lead in that. And so for us to be able to help, increasing literacy across the country is something we're really proud to be a part of.' Last year, when Postmedia attended Upper Bound, a common theme was discussions about safety in AI. This year the Google grant announcement falls in line with what Linke said is the prominent theme of this year's convention — adoption in the workforce. Previously, discussions surrounding AI in the workplace centred around trying to convince the decision-makers that using AI is valuable, but now Linke says the conversation has already changed. Now, boards and bosses already expect AI to be part of the plan forward. Upper Bound, an AI conference at the Edmonton Convention Centre hosted by AMII, lands for the third year in a row with more than 6,000 attendees on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. The main hall can accommodate up to six speakers at the same time because attendees pick a presenter to watch and tune their headphone by colour to match the stage. Shaughn Butts/Postmedia Photo by Shaughn Butts / 10108058A Of course, another big topic of this year's conference is getting the chance to hear Richard Sutton, a University of Alberta professor and chief scientific adviser with AMII, speak after being awarded as the co-recipient of the 2024 Association for Computing Machinery A.M. Turing Award, which is often referred to as the 'Nobel Prize in computing.' The award is the highest distinction in the world of computer science, which is sure to spur a crowd on Thursday, when Sutton is set to speak. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While Upper Bound provides opportunities for attendees to learn, create, and experience various elements of AI, Linke is most heartened by the conference's growing role as a space for vital collisions between members of different sectors that might typically be siloed. Across the country, Linke called for better adoption of AI, which he said Canada has been slow to do compared to other countries. 'The impact that AI can have on companies' operations, on their bottom line, is really big on productivity. We know there's a productivity challenge in Canada,' Linke said. Overall, he said that in order to get the most out of AI as a tool, more adoption is needed while also investing in research to keep driving the industry forward in new ways. He hopes AMII and Upper Bound will continue to assist. 'We'll be here again next year, hopefully creating more collisions between those researchers, between that talent, between the companies trying to adopt (AI) or learning more about it. And we just think, the more that we can create that gravity here, we're going to build something really special,' Linke said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. zdelaney@ Read More Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun. Cult of Hockey Sports Politics Columnists Cult of Hockey
Global News
20-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Researchers, business leaders gather in Edmonton for AI conference
At a rapid pace, the world is seeing more and more technology emerge that allows machines to simulate human intelligence. That will be the subject of the Upper Bound AI Conference taking place in downtown Edmonton this week. The artificial intelligence symposium is being held for the fourth time and is put on by the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii). The event began Tuesday and runs until Friday at the Edmonton Convention Centre. The conference features speakers like Sabrina Geremia, the vice-president and country manager for Google in Canada, John Carmack, the founder and CEO of Keen Technologies, Turing laureate Richard S. Sutton, who is also the chief scientific adviser for Amii, and Elissa Strome, the executive director of the Canadian Institute of Advanced Research. A number of government officials will also be in attendance. Story continues below advertisement 'Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming the most defining technology in our time with its rapid growth and adoption demonstrating transformative power across all aspects of our lives,' Cam Linke, the CEO of Amii, said in a news release. 'We are immensely proud that Upper Bound has become the AI conference where researchers, policymakers, founders, and funders converge to forge a bright future for AI.' Amii is a non-profit institute based in Alberta that supports AI research and works to help scientific advancements be adopted by industries. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The conference is happening the same week that high-ranking officials from G7 countries gather in Alberta for meetings where AI will be among the topics discussed. Those meetings are being held in the mountain town of Banff and serve as a precursor to next month's G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alta. Story continues below advertisement Earlier this month, Canada's federal government revealed the country will be getting its first-ever AI ministry and that former journalist Evan Solomon would be taking on that portfolio. 3:13 Canada Election 2025: Former journalist Evan Soloman calls Liberal win 'earned' Solomon was among the political candidates who won a seat for the Liberals in the House of Commons in last month's federal election. When Solomon was named the minister of AI, Michael Geist, Canada research chair in internet and e-commerce law at the University of Ottawa, said he believes the new ministry is a 'good signal about prioritizing AI and digital innovation.' Geist added that while there will be calls for the government to move quickly on regulation, 'there has been a notable shift globally in recent months toward a more innovation-focused approach.' –with files from The Canadian Press' Anja Karadeglija
CTV News
20-05-2025
- Science
- CTV News
AI industry leaders in Edmonton for Upper Bound conference
Student researchers work at the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute in downtown Edmonton (CTV News Edmonton/Matt Marshall).
