Shaping the future of learning and work: University of Waterloo and Google collaborate

Google image: – © AFP SEBASTIEN BOZON

Education can be a powerful equalizer, opening doors and creating new opportunities in people’s lives. One area that is creating considerable interest from the current generation of university students is artificial intelligence. There are many directions to take AI research; one such area is to understand its impact on learning and work.

With these twin areas in mind, Google and the University of Waterloo have jointly announced a new research collaboration that examines how artificial intelligence will shape education and career preparedness. 

The partnership includes a $1 million in contribution from Google. The bulk of the funding will go towards a new Google Chair in the Future of Work and Learning. Additional funding will be directed towards hands-on learning labs to enable participants to co-create AI-powered tools and prepare students for the evolving workplace.

Google Chair in the Future of Work and Learning

The first Chair is set to be Professor Edith Law, Computer Science professor. Law has made pioneering contributions to fostering human-AI collaboration in the pursuit of enhanced creativity.

Law will be working closely with students and researchers to co-create AI-facilitated learning technologies and to answer some of the fundamental questions facing educational institutions today:

• How can we best prepare students for jobs that don’t exist yet?
• How do we evolve the learning experience to meet learners where they are?
• How do we make sure learners are ready for the workforce in an increasingly evolving world? 

Learning by doing: The futures lab workshop

With the laboratory support, the Futures Lab, a unique, hands-on learning lab where interdisciplinary student teams will come together with University of Waterloo faculty and Google mentors to build new, AI-powered learning prototypes, with tools such as Gemini and AI Studio.

In this setting, interdisciplinary student teams will come together, multiple times per year, with University of Waterloo faculty and Google mentors to build new, AI-powered learning prototypes, with tools such as Gemini and AI Studio.

Google view

Speaking about the partnership, Mira Lane, VP Society and Technology, Google explains the motivation for the initiative: “In an era of rapid technological advancement, ensuring education can continue to fulfil that promise for everyone is critical.”

In terms of the support Google will be providing, Law says: “This collaboration brings together our expertise in AI with University of Waterloo’s visionary educational approach. To kick things off, we will be providing a $1 million CAD contribution to establish a new Google Chair in the Future of Work and Learning to explore new paradigms of learning and teaching. This partnership marks our shared commitment to redefine education and empower the next generation to thrive in an AI-driven world.”

Other projects

Google has an established history of working with the University of Waterloo, including Kids on Campus, a programme that brings Grade 4 classes to the university for a day of STEM activities. Google has also provided funding for the university’s Women in Computer Science (WiCS) programme and, most recently, Google collaborated with the university’s Jimmy Lin Data and the Waterloo Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute to host a K-12 AI Day for Educators.