Starting Monday: Free AI Course for Canadian Students and New Resources for Teachers

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published September 20, 2026

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Beginning Monday, September 21, 2026, Canadian universities, colleges and other post-secondary institutions will be able to join a national initiative that allows participating schools to offer students a free three-hour course on artificial intelligence, alongside new training resources for K–12 educators.

The program is part of Canada’s National AI Literacy Initiative, launched by the federal government in partnership with the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii). It is designed to help Canadians understand how artificial intelligence works, use AI tools responsibly and recognize risks including bias, misinformation and privacy concerns.

Participating institutions will be able to offer AI for All: Essentials for Students, a free bilingual course aimed at post-secondary students across all fields of study. The three-hour program focuses on fundamental AI concepts, responsible use of the technology and skills expected to become increasingly relevant in the labour market.

The September 21 launch does not create a single national registration portal where every student can enrol individually. Instead, access is provided through universities, colleges and other post-secondary institutions that join the national consortium and make the course available to their students.

A separate stream, AI for All: Essentials for Educators, will also begin rolling out for teachers from kindergarten through Grade 12. The first module will be openly available, with classroom-ready resources covering core AI concepts, safety, ethics, governance and the use of artificial intelligence in education. Five additional modules are expected to be released during the fall.

The Amii-led programs are expected to reach up to one million post-secondary students and more than 50,000 K–12 educators across Canada as part of a national partnership valued at C$13 million.

The initiative includes three main streams: Essentials for Students, Essentials for Educators and Essentials for Canadians. The public-facing program is expected to launch later in 2026 through participating community organizations serving urban, rural and remote communities.

Canadians looking to strengthen their job-related AI skills can also access short training opportunities through the federal Job Bank Training Finder, which includes courses intended to help workers and job seekers adapt to the growing use of artificial intelligence across the economy.