Google is marking its 25th anniversary in Canada with a major expansion of no-cost AI training, announcing up to 100,000 scholarships and a national initiative to help more than 10,000 small businesses adopt the technology.
Through a new partnership with YMCA Canada, Grow with Google will distribute scholarships for Google AI Essentials and the Google AI Professional Certificate through YMCAs across the country. Google says the commitment represents a tenfold increase in previously pledged access to its no-cost AI training for Canadians.
Google.org is also providing more than $2.7 million CAD to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce for a national AI Adoption Program. Designed to reach over 10,000 small and medium-sized businesses, the program will offer three levels of support tailored to different stages of AI readiness, helping participants move from awareness to implementation.
The announcements accompany Google Canada’s 2025 Economic Impact Report, produced by consultancy Public First and commissioned by Google.
The report estimates generative AI could boost Canada’s economy by $230 billion and save the average Canadian worker more than 175 hours annually. Those figures describe potential gains, underscoring the importance of helping workers and employers develop the skills to apply the technology.
Google says it has helped more than one million Canadians build digital and AI skills since 2017. The report also estimates the company’s products and services have supported more than $550 billion in Canadian economic activity over 25 years, alongside $410 billion in productivity improvements.
For workers and small-business owners, the new initiatives aim to make practical AI training more accessible as employers explore how the technology fits into everyday work.
More information is available on the Google Canada Blog.