Students of all disciplines at the University of Alberta will be invited to take an AI literacy course online starting in January.
The course, called Artificial Intelligence Everywhere, is also a foundational step toward an AI-focused certification for undergraduate students, a project the university is developing in partnership with the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute.
"In a world where AI's impact is everywhere, we need to have AI literacy be everywhere," Amii CEO Cam Linke said at a news conference on Sept. 12.
Taught primarily by Amii's Adam White, "AI Everywhere" is a three-credit course that can be taken alongside any degree. Although it is launching first at the U of A, Amii and the university intend to open the course to other institutions in the future.
"Being one of the world's leading research institutions on AI, this is an opportunity for us to share that knowledge," said U of A president Bill Flanagan. "Not only with our students at the University of Alberta — the students from across Alberta, Canada, and around the world."
Amii and the U of A will extend that AI literacy to parents as well by hosting a free webinar about "Parenting in the era of AI" in early November.
Athabasca University also has an online micro-credential that focuses on AI ethics in relation to data, machine learning, and roboethics. Both professionals looking to implement such technology and individuals who are curious about the subject can take the course.
AI technology is making its way into every industry, and Alberta is a big player in that innovation, Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish said at the event.
"We're very fortunate to live in Alberta at a time when technology is evolving at such a rapid pace," he said. "We have some of the smartest minds on the planet in these spaces living right here in Alberta."
Photo: Nate Glubish, minister of technology and innovation (left), Amii CEO Cam Linke (centre), and U of A president Bill Flanagan (right) spoke at the announcement of the university's new AI literacy course at Amii on Sept. 12. (Michel Feist/Amii).