Today, University of Waterloo and Google announced a research collaboration that will examine the impact of artificial intelligence on education and career readiness. The partnership includes a $1 million research agreement to create the Google Chair in the Future of Work and Learning. The Chair is situated within a broader initiative, the Future of Work Institute, which is supported by a $450,000 grant from the University of Waterloo’s Global Futures Fund. The partnership will enable a number of research and education initiatives at the intersection of technology design and pedagogical innovation, including hands-on learning labs for students to envision technologies for the future of work and learning through prototyping.
The new research chair will be held by Dr. Edith Law, professor of computer science in the Faculty of Mathematics and executive director of the Future of Work Institute. Law is an expert on Human-AI interaction and the design of technology for fostering human values in learning, healthcare and collaborative work contexts. “I am honoured to have the opportunity to work with Google to explore how we can best design tools and environments for learning, taking full advantage of AI’s potential while being cognizant of its risks,” Professor Law said.
L to R: Jules Walter, Director of Product Management, Google; Professor Charmaine Dean, Vice-president, Research and International; Sabrina Geremia, Vice-president and Country Managing Director, Google; Professor Edith Law, new Google Chair in the Future of Work and Learning and Executive Director of the Future of Work Institute; Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security; Dr. Vivek Goel, President and Vice-chancellor of Waterloo; University Professor Raouf Boutaba, Director of the Cheriton School of Computer Science; Professor Jochen Koenemann, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics