Latest news with #CamLinke
Cision Canada
21-05-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Google Canada announces $5 million to support the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute to boost AI skills for Canadian post-secondary students
EDMONTON, AB, May 21, 2025 /CNW/ - Google Canada announced a $5 million CAD 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 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. 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. About Amii One of Canada's three centres of AI excellence as part of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, Amii (the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) is an Alberta-based non-profit institute that supports world-leading research in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Amii translates fundamental research and breakthroughs in AI into business impact, with a focus on transferring knowledge, technology and talent to industry at scale and rapidly improving AI literacy for all. For more information, visit
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Google Canada announces $5 million to support the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute to boost AI skills for Canadian post-secondary students
will provide $5 million CAD for Amii to establish a national consortium to develop AI curriculum and empower 125,000 post-secondary students with AI skills EDMONTON, AB, May 21, 2025 /CNW/ - Google Canada announced a $5 million CAD 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 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. About Google CanadaGoogle'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. About AmiiOne of Canada's three centres of AI excellence as part of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, Amii (the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) is an Alberta-based non-profit institute that supports world-leading research in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Amii translates fundamental research and breakthroughs in AI into business impact, with a focus on transferring knowledge, technology and talent to industry at scale and rapidly improving AI literacy for all. For more information, visit SOURCE Google Canada View original content:
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
