Google Grants Amii $5 million to Develop Post-Secondary AI Curricula

Google’s philanthropic wing, Google.org, announced a $5 million grant to the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (“Amii”) to develop and integrate artificial intelligence (“AI”) materials into post-secondary courses in Canada.

Amii — a non-profit, joint effort between the Alberta Government and the University of Alberta, is focused on machine intelligence research and utilizing AI to make scientific advancements in Canadian industries. Amii will use the funding to establish a national consortium of 25 post-secondary institutions, reaching an estimated 125,000 students, that will develop and integrate “easy-to-use AI curriculum materials” into existing courses. While the consortium must first be formed before settling on the substance of its curriculum, Amii CEO Cam Linke told BetaKit that the curriculum will likely consist of a base understanding of AI, including how AI works, the principles and practices for deploying AI, and the changing nature of Canadian industries.

In addition to promoting technological literacy, Google and Amii hope that the initiative will translate into increased AI adoption in Canada, as the company estimates increased AI usage could boost the Canadian economy. The initiative also aims to make post-secondary students “more hireable as they graduate” in an increasingly AI-driven economy. In the words of Sabrina Geremia, Vice-President and Country Managing Director at Google Canada, “[w]e want everyone to have the skills and knowledge in order to contribute to Canada’s economic productivity.”