Google Canada Unveils Major AI Expansion with 100k Scholarships and $2.7m in Funding

Google Canada is celebrating its 25th anniversary in the country by launching several initiatives to promote artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. The company will provide up to 100,000 free scholarships for workers through a new partnership with YMCA Canada. This marks a significant expansion of Google's AI training programs in Canada, which have already seen over 64,500 Canadians graduate from its Career Certificate program.

The scholarships are aimed at helping workers build job-ready AI skills, while the company is also providing more than $2.7 million CAD to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce for a national AI adoption program targeting small businesses. This program will provide three levels of support for businesses at different stages of adopting AI and will be distributed through over 400 local chambers of commerce and boards of trade.

Google's economic impact in Canada has been significant, with its products and innovations contributing more than $550 billion in economic activity and $410 billion in productivity improvements since 2001. The company also estimates that generative AI could add $230 billion to the Canadian economy, although this is not guaranteed.