Sabrina Geremia is the vice-president and country managing director at Google Canada.
After decades leading the world in artificial intelligence research, Canada is entering the adoption phase, where the real economic value from AI will be realized. To help every Canadian benefit from a technology our country helped pioneer, the next phase requires investing in our people.
Growing up with three sisters who are all educators, I was surrounded by a deep belief in the power of learning. Capturing today’s AI opportunity requires extending that same belief across the country. The good news is the demand is there. Sixty-three per cent of Canadians say they are eager to learn skills, and for good reason. PwC research states that workers with AI skills command a 56-per-cent wage premium and Indeed found that mentions of AI in Canadian job postings nearly doubled in 2025.
A recent Statistics Canada study indicates that AI is following a similar path to other technological shifts, by transforming jobs rather than replacing them. AI will reshape tasks, create new kinds of work and demand new skills. To manage this transition, we need to equip all Canadians with practical AI skills. This means providing the opportunity for every Canadian to learn what AI is, how to use it responsibly and effective techniques such as prompt engineering. This is an ecosystem-wide effort and it will take all of us working together to make it happen.
Reimagining the modern classroom
New technologies, from the printing press to the internet, have reshaped how we learn. A study from KPMG suggests more than 70 per cent of students use generative AI for their schoolwork, and 80 per cent of students want courses on how to use AI responsibly.
A blueprint is already unfolding at the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB), where students are taught to view AI as a partner in critical thinking, not a magic answer button. Teachers use AI to simplify complex topics, handle administrative tasks, and create personalized learning journeys for diverse students. Students, in turn, are learning to tailor their own education by asking AI to explain a science concept in “soccer terms” or create a practice quiz based on their favourite TV show.
The result is a more engaged classroom, where concepts connect directly to students’ interests and lived experiences. By teaching them how to use these tools responsibly, OCSB is giving the next generation a critical head start for a future where they will work alongside AI.
AI literacy as a prerequisite for success
For students in higher education, AI literacy is a prerequisite for a successful career. From nursing to history or business, most graduates will use AI or compete against someone who does.
That’s why the work of Alberta’s Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) is so vital. Amii is building a consortium of more than 40 post-secondary institutions to equip Canadian graduates with foundational AI literacy. They are developing easy-to-use curriculum materials for AI in financial investment, computational biology, nursing and more, allowing faculty to seamlessly integrate AI concepts into existing courses. This initiative is set to reach more than 125,000 students across the country.
There is also an opportunity to build new tools and platforms to strengthen the way we learn. The University of Waterloo’s Futures Lab launched an AI prototyping workshop that does exactly this. This “learners building for learners” model empowers the next generation to co-create the very tools that will help them succeed. The first workshop was a success, receiving more than 100 applications and producing prototypes such as a virtual science lab and a new app to help students understand math concepts more intuitively.
These partnerships prove it’s possible to integrate AI skills across all disciplines, creating a new generation of talent that can transform Canada’s AI research leadership into a tangible economic advantage.
Rewiring today’s workforce
Building a truly competitive workforce also requires equipping Canadians already in their careers with new skills. Businesses can start by investing in their own people, either by offering training programs or by giving employees the time to pursue micro-credential courses. At the same time, community organizations are critical to extending the benefits of AI to everyone, not just a few.
Organizations such as Skills for Change are offering courses for skilled trades, youth and new immigrants. The First Nations Technology Council is conducting research to inform relevant skills training for Indigenous students. The Toronto Public Library provides free AI training to people across the city through classes in local libraries and online courses.
By pairing corporate investment with these trusted organizations, we can make accessible AI training available in every community. This approach will create a new generation of well-rounded problem-solvers who can pair AI fluency with essential human skills such as creativity and collaboration.
Proven models for AI upskilling are already emerging in K-12 classrooms, university labs and local libraries across Canada. Our future success depends on deepening the collaboration between industry, academia, government and non-profits to make them available to everyone. By working together, we can move from pioneering AI research to building the world’s most skilled, confident and competitive AI-ready workforce.
This column is part of Globe Careers’ Leadership Lab series, where executives and experts share their views and advice about the world of work. Find all Leadership Lab stories at tgam.ca/leadershiplab and guidelines for how to contribute to the column here.