Government of Canada launches National AI Literacy Initiative

New national partnership with Amii will provide free, practical AI learning for students, educators, workers and communities across Canada

EDMONTON, AB, Sept. 9, 2026 /CNW/ -- Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how Canadians learn, work and access services. Canadians need the knowledge and skills to benefit from these technologies, understand their risks and make informed choices about how AI fits into their lives.

Today, the Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, launched Canada's National AI Literacy Initiative, a new national partnership with the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii). The initiative will provide free, practical learning opportunities to help Canadians understand AI, use it responsibly and benefit from the opportunities it creates.

A key initiative under Canada's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All, the program will be delivered through three learning streams:

• AI for All: Essentials for Students
• AI for All: Essentials for Educators
• AI for All: Essentials for Canadians

The initiative is built around a simple progression: understand AI, use AI and, for those who choose, build with AI. It will give Canadians practical knowledge to assess AI-generated information, recognize risks such as bias, misinformation and privacy loss, and decide how to use these technologies confidently and responsibly.

Through Amii-led programming, the initiative is expected to reach up to one million post-secondary students and more than 50,000 kindergarten-to-Grade-12 (K-12) educators. The free learning opportunities will provide practical, foundational knowledge that students and educators can apply in classrooms, workplaces and their daily lives.

Essentials for Students

Post-secondary institutions participating in the National Student AI Literacy Initiative consortium can offer students a free, three-hour AI literacy course that helps them understand AI and use it confidently and responsibly while building foundational AI knowledge and workplace readiness skills. Beginning September 21, 2026, post-secondary institutions across Canada will be able to join the consortium and offer the course to their students.

Essentials for Educators

To further support these efforts, the first complete chapter of Essentials for Educators will be made openly available starting September 21, 2026. It will provide K-12 educators with practical training and classroom-ready resources, with five additional chapters to be released throughout the fall.

Essentials for Canadians

Later this year, the first complete version of Essentials for Canadians will launch nationally through participating community partners. Organizations serving Canadians in urban, rural and remote communities will begin offering the course and provide feedback to support its development toward direct, open access for all Canadians.

Workers and job seekers can access short-duration AI training through Employment and Social Development Canada's national Training Finder on Job Bank. The courses will help Canadians understand and adapt to AI as their jobs, tools and workplaces change.

Together, these learning opportunities will give Canadians the confidence to use AI where it serves them, the judgment to question it where it does not and the knowledge to make informed choices about its place in their lives.

Quotes

"Canada helped create modern AI. Now we are making sure Canadians have the knowledge and confidence to shape what comes next. AI literacy gives people the practical skills to benefit from these technologies, understand their risks and decide where AI belongs in their lives. Through AI for All, we are making that opportunity available to students, educators, workers and communities across the country."
– The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

"As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the world of work, Canadians need the skills and opportunities to succeed. Through the National AI Literacy Initiative and the Job Bank Training Finder, we are helping people build new skills, explore career opportunities and prepare for the jobs of tomorrow. By helping Canadians adapt and grow in a changing economy, we are making sure more people can take advantage of the opportunities ahead."
– The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario

"Amii is one of Edmonton's great success stories. As one of Canada's three national AI institutes, Amii has shown how world-class research can be translated into practical knowledge and opportunity. Through this new $13 million national partnership, we are taking expertise built here in Edmonton and helping one million post-secondary students, more than 50,000 educators, and workers and Canadians across the country understand AI, use it responsibly and share in the opportunities it creates."
– The Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada

"This national mandate is a profound validation of Amii's proven track record in AI literacy, and we are deeply proud to answer this call--grounded firmly in our dedicated work in AI excellence as a national AI institute. By delivering free, world-class AI learning to post-secondary institutions, educational spaces and communities nationwide, we are demystifying technology and empowering all Canadians at every age, creating a generational impact on their ability to navigate an evolving digital world with confidence and trust."
– Cam Linke, CEO, Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute

Quick facts

• The National AI Literacy Initiative is a key initiative under Canada's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All.
• AI literacy builds the knowledge and skills Canadians need to understand AI, use it responsibly and, for those who choose, build with it.
• Through Amii-led programming, the initiative is expected to reach up to one million post-secondary students and more than 50,000 kindergarten-to-Grade-12 educators.
• Post-secondary institutions participating in the National Student AI Literacy Initiative consortium can offer students a free, three-hour AI literacy course that helps them understand AI and use it confidently and responsibly while building foundational AI knowledge and workplace readiness skills.
• Beginning September 21, 2026, institutions that are not yet consortium members will be invited to join the consortium and access the course.
• Later this year, the first complete version of AI for All: Essentials for Canadians will launch nationally through participating community partners.
• Workers and job seekers can access short-duration AI training through Employment and Social Development Canada's Job Bank's national Training Finder.

Associated links

• Canada's National AI Literacy Initiative
• Canada's National AI Strategy: AI for All
• Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute: AI Literacy for All

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Contacts: Leela Polushin, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, [email protected]; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, [email protected]