Latest news with #SabrinaGeremia
Cision Canada
6 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.
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:
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
