Toronto Public Library librarian Cathy Duong leads an AI Essentials Learning Circle at the Brentwood branch in Etobicoke.Supplied
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When her job was made redundant about 18 months ago after 37 years with the same company, Hayley Phillips wanted to keep working but knew she needed to update her skills.
“I started to look at [artificial intelligence] and realized that yes, I need to learn something new,” the former human resources information technologist says with a chuckle.
Ms. Phillips soon discovered an AI course which was being offered at the Toronto Public Library (TPL) thanks to grant money provided by Google Canada for AI education.
“It’s going to become a more integral part of your daily life,” she says of AI and her decision to learn more about it. “It’s going to influence how you learn, how you work.”
Helping people learn AI is a natural progression for libraries given their long history of helping people pickup basic computer and technical skills, says TPL librarian Claire Fyfe.
“I’ve taught a lot of seniors how to use the internet, how to use cell phones, things like that,” she says. “I really love that work because people are so excited to get these skills.”
Research shows many Canadians could benefit from more AI skills. A recent KPMG survey of 48,000 people in 47 countries ranked Canada 44th in AI training and literacy.
Sabrina Geremia, vice-president and country managing director for Google Canada, says a report commissioned by the company found that generative AI – which can create new content such as images and computer code, based on human input or prompts – has the potential to boost Canada’s economy by $230-billion.
“It’s really about how to close that (learning) gap. And that’s about getting AI into the hands of Canadians, helping bring AI literacy to Canadians.”
Google Canada recently created its AI Opportunity Fund, which will give $13-million to four organizations to help train Canadians on the responsible use of AI.
Various organizations were invited by Google to apply for funding, with the money allocated to successful applicants based on the scope of the proposed training.
More than $2.7-million is going to TPL, with the rest going to the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, the First Nations Technology Council and Skills for Change. “These organizations have such a great track record in really working with communities across Canada,” Ms. Geremia says when asked why these four were selected to receive funding.
Ab Velasco, TPL’s manager of innovation with a focus on AI services, says the Google funding has been transformational for the organization.
“It has really allowed us to accelerate our AI upskilling and our AI literacy programming,” he says.
For example, TPL is offering AI learning circles, a four-week program where participants complete Google’s AI Essentials course individually and meet once a week either virtually or in person as a study group. Anyone over the age of 18 with a valid library card can enroll for free.
In the group sessions, participants review various learning modules and discuss different AI topics such as maximizing productivity, using the technology responsibly and staying current with its latest news and advances. There are also lessons such as writing prompts for AI tools that are descriptive enough to replicate an image as closely as possible.
“The better the prompt, the more accurate the picture is,” says Ms. Fyfe, a learning circle facilitator. “So that’s kind of a fun game.”
In another activity, students are shown a variety of commonly used programs and services, such as facial recognition software or a self-checkout machine at a grocery store, and asked to identify which ones use AI technology.
“It’s about getting people aware of how much AI is around us and what exactly is driven by AI and what isn’t,” Ms. Fyfe says, adding that while she and her fellow facilitators don’t have AI degrees, their profession entails curating learning resources and helping people sift through information to find answers.
Most students who take the TPL’s AI courses are looking to boost their careers, Ms. Fyfe says. “They feel like they will become less valuable at work if they don’t understand this technology.”
Wagisha Singh, a learning circle participant with about five years of experience in recruitment and HR, has found it useful to learn about AI alongside people from diverse careers.
In her course in particular, she says there were participants from industries such as financial services and health care, as well as a retired couple.
“There was a lot of learning from each other in terms of the discussions we had on how people would use AI on a day-to-day basis,” Ms. Singh says.
Ms. Singh believes it’s important that Canadians from different backgrounds have opportunities to take this kind of training.
“AI is not some distant technology,” she says. “It’s already implemented in every industry we come across. It’s already shaping the way we live.”
But given concerns about how AI could replace human workers and its potential to spread misinformation, some have questioned whether Google and other technology giants – which also profit from AI adoption – should be in the business of funding AI education?
“If someone said this was altruistic, I would say they’re naïve,” says Walid Hejazi, a professor of economic analysis and policy at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and director of its executive training programs. “This is helping people in a way that helps Google. There’s no question about it.”
Prof. Hejazi says Google benefits in multiple ways by funding AI education, such as making people more comfortable with the kinds of AI products Google sells and improving Google’s image at a time when one poll found only 4 per cent of Canadians trust big tech companies.
Even so, he describes the funding provided by Google as a win-win. He says it will provide many Canadians with much-needed training in AI, including those who could not otherwise afford it.
“What’s the alternative?” Prof. Hejazi asks. “They may not get access to this kind of training and the digital divide will increase even more.”
When asked about Google’s vested interested, Ms. Geremia responded to say, “I think what matters is that people understand what AI is and what it isn’t, and that it helps them make the choice on how they want to use it in their lives.”
Mr. Velasco of TPL says the library has complete independence over its AI education programs.
“All our services and programs reflect the library’s values and our commitment to serving everyone in our communities,” he says.
Ms. Fyfe adds that the classes don’t shy away from the risks of AI.
“[Students] do ask about things like job loss and what will happen to the economy – these kinds of large questions that are in the media and that no one really knows the answer to.”
Between April and August of this year, nearly 500 students have been trained in AI via 30 TPL learning circles. But the library’s ambitions go far beyond that: It intends to continue offering learning circles until December, 2026. Mr. Velasco says that the library wants to train 11,000 people in AI.
“We’re hoping to build a solid foundation for AI upskilling and AI literacy programming,” he says. “We’re really excited for the next two years but also dreaming of the possibilities down the road as well.”
Ms. Phillips, who has already completed the learning circle program, wants to continue AI training. She says she plans to take a course focused specifically on the art of writing AI prompts and would eventually like to find a job focused on that skill.
While unemployed, Ms. Phillips says she isn’t worried about the potential for AI to eliminate the need for many jobs. Instead, she’s excited about the possibilities.
“I think (AI) will create different types of jobs, like more technical jobs,” she says. “I think people have to keep thinking that way and keep getting retrained.”