Gen(Z)AI representatives with the Honourable Evan Solomon and the Honourable Marc Miller in Ottawa.
The creation and design of Gen(Z)AI: Canada’s Youth Assembly on Artificial Intelligence were animated by an urgent conviction: that young people, among the most exposed to and affected by AI systems, should not merely be subjects of this technology, but architects of its governance. What followed – across seven months, four cities, one hundred in-person participants, and thousands of virtually engaged young Canadians – exceeded our initial ambitions.
Between November 2025 and April 2026, Gen(Z)AI participants from across the country deliberated on and drafted policy recommendations for AI governance in Canada. This project culminated with the publication of the final Gen(Z)AI report and an Ottawa Plenary, where participants presented their 17 recommendations directly to policymakers, government officials, and civil society representatives.
Event Program:
9:00am Doors Open
9:30am Welcome
Helen Hayes, Gen(Z)AI Project Lead; Associate Director, Policy, Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy
Fergus Linley-Mota, Gen(Z)AI Project Lead; Senior Fellow, Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy; Founder and Director, SFU Dialogue on Technology Project
9:45am Opening Remarks
Senator Rosemary Moodie
10:00am Gen(Z)AI Video
10:10am Policy Recommendations
11:00am Break
11:15am Panel #1: Expanding the Decision-making Table
Dr. Sara Grimes, McGill University
Dr. Aftab Erfan, Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue
Moderator: Fergus Linley-Mota
11:45am Panel #2: Canadian Digital Regulation
Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture
Evan Solomon, Minister of AI and Digital Innovation
Moderator: Helen Hayes
12:30pm Closing Remarks
Anna Jahn, Executive Director, Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy
Photographer: Lindsay Ralph. Download the event photos here.
