Helping Canadians gain practical, hands-on AI skills to grow their careers and businesses

How can Canadians thrive in the future of work as we roll out new Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tools? It starts with skills.

AI has the potential to transform the way we work. AI can assist, complement, empower, and inspire people across almost every field. It can help people and organizations make decisions, solve problems, and be more productive and creative.

The shift towards embracing AI will also create new opportunities for Canadian businesses and workers. In our Economic Impact Report, we found that generative AI could increase the economy of Canada by $210 billion and could save the average Canadian worker over 100 hours a year. AI skills will also become a powerful advantage for those in the job market. In 2023 alone, there was a 21x increase in job postings that included AI technologies, highlighting the growing demand for talent.

Google is committed to ensuring that everybody can benefit from AI, and we believe that skilling is the first step. Today, we're launching Google AI Essentials: a new course from Grow with Google to help more people build essential AI skills to grow their careers and businesses.

Get essential AI skills to boost your productivity

Google AI Essentials is our new self-paced, online course taught by AI experts at Google. This course can be completed in under 10 hours, and requires no previous experience with AI. It’s designed to help teach people across all industries through hands-on experience with a variety of AI tools. Google AI Essentials is available in English, with additional languages coming soon.

Google AI Essential graduates will also get access to Talent Match, an exclusive program that offers free 1-on-1 coaching, resume help, practice interviews, and job search support. Through Talent Match, grads will be able to connect with over 20 employers who are committed to considering hiring graduates.

To help bridge the opportunity gap, we are partnering with non-profit organizations including Canada Learning Code, ComIT, Digital Main Street, First Work, and Vector Institute, to grant scholarships for AI Essentials to individuals in their network from underrepresented communities.

In my role at Google, I’ve been leading teams who work with AI for over 10 years, and I’ve always said that continuous learning is foundational. Not everyone needs to know how to build a Large Language Model, but learning how to work alongside these new technologies is critical. I took AI Essentials last week and found the course accessible, providing simple and concrete examples that highlight how you can use AI at work and in everyday life. The course was efficient, and something I could tackle in a week, during my free time.

Flexible AI training designed for teachers

Think back on your favourite teachers. Maybe they made complex subjects seem simple and teaching seem effortless. But the truth is, teachers spend countless hours preparing engaging lesson plans, thoughtful assessments and creative class materials. AI can be a valuable assistant to teachers in these moments.

Today, we’re also launching Generative AI for Educators in Canada, a free two-hour, self-paced course designed to help teachers save time on everyday tasks, personalize instruction to meet student needs, and enhance lessons and activities in creative ways with generative AI tools — no previous experience required.

In just two hours of self-paced study, teachers can learn how to use generative AI tools to help:

• Create engaging lesson plans and materials: With generative AI, they can input their specific lesson plan and tailor it to student interests like explaining science using sports analogies.
• Tailor instruction for different abilities. Imagine a teacher who has 25 or 30 kids in their classroom. With generative AI, that teacher can easily modify the same lesson for different reading levels in their class.
• Save time on everyday tasks: Generative AI can help with drafting emails or correspondence with parents. For instance, if a student is out sick, teachers can create summaries of that day’s lessons to help make sure the student doesn’t fall behind.

AI has the potential to increase our productivity and will assist workers in developing innovative, forward-thinking solutions. The first step in Canada's success is equipping people with the right skills. I’m very optimistic about the opportunity AI presents for Canada, and excited to be part of the journey.