Canada launches free national AI-literacy program
Courses for students and educators begin rolling out September 21, with a broader community stream planned later this year.
The federal government has launched a national AI-literacy initiative offering free, practical training for students, educators, workers and communities.
The program is a partnership with the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute and has three streams: Essentials for Students, Essentials for Educators and Essentials for Canadians. The government says the material will cover how to assess AI-generated information and recognize risks such as bias, misinformation and privacy loss.
Starting September 21, post-secondary institutions will be able to join a consortium and offer students a free three-hour course. The first educator chapter will also be released openly that day, with five more chapters planned through the fall.
A broader course for Canadians is due later in 2026 through participating community partners. Workers and job seekers can already find short AI-training options through Job Bank’s Training Finder.
The government estimates the Amii-led programming could reach up to one million post-secondary students and more than 50,000 K–12 educators.
Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada — September 9, 2026.
AI-assisted news brief. Sources are linked above.
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