Toronto Public Library (TPL) is honoured to receive the Minister's Award for Innovation from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming for its AI Upskilling Initiative.
The city-wide initiative provides Torontonians with free access to AI tools, training, and programming, helping residents build essential skills and use artificial intelligence responsibly.
In 2025, the AI Upskilling Initiative reached 2,400 participants through workshops, learning circles, and conferences. More than 400 scholarships were awarded to equity-deserving and Indigenous community members to complete the Google AI Essentials certificate course, ensuring equitable access to emerging technology education.
The two-year initiative runs until December 2026 and is made possible through $2.8 million in funding from Google.org's AI Opportunity Fund, received by the Toronto Public Library Foundation.
"We're proud to be recognized for an initiative that breaks new ground while staying true to what public libraries have always done: connecting people to information and responding to community needs," said Moe Hosseini-Ara, City Librarian, Toronto Public Library.
For more information about the AI Upskilling Initiative, visit tpl.ca/learnAI.
About Toronto Public Library
Toronto Public Library is one of the world's biggest and busiest public library systems, with nearly 45 million annual visits to our branches and online. We empower Torontonians to thrive in the digital age and knowledge economy through easy access to technology, lifelong learning, and diverse cultural and leisure experiences, where, when and how our customers need us. To learn more, visit our website, email Answerline, subscribe to our eNewsletter or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter).
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