This talk from Upper Bound features an announcement and panel discussion titled "Building the AI-Ready Generation: Cultivating Essential Skills." Featuring Sabrina Geremia (VP and Country Manager, Google Canada), Nate Glubish (Minister of Technology and Innovation, Alberta), Tamara Payton (Educator), and hosted by Cam Linke (CEO, Amii), this session unveils a significant Google.org investment of over $5 million to Amii to establish a national consortium of 25 post-secondary institutions, developing and integrating AI curriculum to equip Canadian students for the future workforce across all disciplines.

The discussion highlights Canada's leadership in AI research while addressing the crucial need to accelerate widespread AI adoption and commercialization, essential for unlocking an estimated $27 billion economic upside in Alberta from generative AI alone. Speakers emphasize the Alberta government's commitment to leading by example, implementing AI in public services to boost efficiency and create secure, sovereign compute infrastructure. The panel stresses the importance of fostering comprehensive AI literacy from K-12 through post-secondary education, moving beyond basic ethical concerns to cultivate practical application skills. The goal is to empower students with the "unicorn" combination of technical understanding, adaptive problem-solving, curiosity, and resilience, positioning Canada at the leading-edge of the global AI landscape.

Upper Bound 2025 is Amii's annual artificial intelligence conference, held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, bringing together researchers, industry, and policymakers. The conference focuses on accelerating AI excellence and innovation for good, emphasizing AI for critical infrastructure, health, industrial operations, responsible AI, and AI Literacy.