Most workplace conversations about artificial intelligence still begin with software. Which tools are employees using? What data are they putting into them? What should a policy permit? Canada's newest workforce programs point to a broader question. Who is actually being trained to work with AI, and where will that experience come from? On September 9, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada launched a national AI literacy initiative with the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute. The program is designed to make practical AI learning available to students, educators, workers and communities. The federal announcement says participating postsecondary institutions can offer a free three hour AI literacy course, with the initiative expected to reach up to one million postsecondary students and more than 50,000 educators. Workers and job seekers can also access short AI training through Job Bank. That matters because workplace AI adoption is already well ahead of formal training in many organizations. Statistics Canada reported in July that 35.9 per cent of workers had used generative AI as part of their main job or business during the previous 12 months.
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