We’re at a pivotal moment in shaping the future of the Canadian economy with Generative AI (Gen AI). In our recent report with Accenture, Gen AI is projected to save Canadian workers up to 125 hours a year (30 minutes a day), boosting productivity by 8% and adding $187 billion annually to the economy by 2030. Canadian small-to-medium enterprises alone could also realize $100 billion per year in economic value by 2030—$70 billion from small businesses and $30 billion from medium-sized enterprises. However, the opportunities presented by Gen AI will only be meaningful if everyone has access to the knowledge and abilities to harness them.
Over the last year, many organizations have adopted Gen AI into their operations. To realize the benefits of Gen AI, it will be critical for organizations to shift from an adopt to an adapt mindset. To facilitate this shift, industry, government, academia and the social sectors must work together to support organizations by providing skilling and educational opportunities for workers in Gen AI.
To ensure Canadians are equipped with what are quickly becoming essential Gen AI skills, Microsoft has collaborated with the following leading organizations to launch customized Gen AI training initiatives tailored to meet the unique needs of Canadians in a variety of sectors.
- Institute of Public Administration of Canada – In collaboration with Microsoft, the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) will launch a free Generative AI skills training series, Navigating AI: A Practical Guide for Public Servants, tailored specifically for public servants across Canada and delivered by KPMG Skills Development Centre.
- Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) – ICTC will execute a targeted and integrated series of learning activities to engage small and medium-sized business leaders, board members and other senior professionals from coast to coast to coast.
- Logics Academy – Logics Academy will strengthen its collaboration with Microsoft to infuse generative AI learning competencies across their programs, as well as engaging youth/students with the new Minecraft AI Literacy worlds. By equipping students with future-ready skills like creativity, problem solving and systems thinking through Minecraft Education, educators can deliver traditional computer science lessons infused with AI to help learners better understand ways to be responsible when using AI tools.
- Imagine Canada and the Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience (CCNDR) – Imagine Canada and CCNDR aim to create a dynamic platform to provide nonprofit leaders and professionals with up-to-date insights, resources, and best practices on leveraging AI to advance their work. They will conduct a comprehensive survey of the unique challenges and opportunities that nonprofits face in adopting and applying AI.
- Indigenomics Institute – Microsoft has joined Indigenomics Institute as a contributing collaborator to IndigenomicsAI, an Indigenous economic intelligence platform. This initiative outlines the Indigenous economic value beyond the $100 billion of Indigenous economic target while showcasing the growth and potential of the Indigenous AI economy. Indigenomics Institute seeks to develop technology-driven frameworks to assist Indigenous businesses in accessing financial resources, scaling effectively, and achieving economic self-determination. Microsoft is dedicated to maintaining and strengthening relationships with Indigenous communities to promote educational opportunities and enhance AI literacy and awareness within the AI economy.
In addition to these tailored AI skills programs, we have launched the Microsoft AI Skills Navigator, an AI-assisted platform built to empower Canadians to learn how to unlock the opportunity and power of AI at work. Microsoft AI Skills Navigator can help individual learners identify goals, skills level, and learning style, to find the right path to AI success. The AI Skills Navigator is available to everyone, in both French and English — withtools that are free to learn and use.
The opportunity of AI is here and can be unlocked for every learner — at every career stage and in every role. As more jobs demand digital and AI skills, Microsoft is focused on expanding opportunity to everyone in Canada and around the world through AI and digital learning. In fact, Microsoft has trained and certified over 23 million people globally in digital skills this past year, and we are just getting started. By working together with these organizations, we will help democratize Gen AI as A general purpose technology.
Read below to learn from our partners about how we are collaborating to enhance AI literacy across Canada.
