Completed

Gen(Z)AI: Youth Voices, AI Futures

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the way we work, live, think, and interact. But, while young Canadians are some of the most digitally connected people, they remain largely absent from decision making about this technology. As the Canadian federal government ramps up its AI strategy, we believe that it's essential to have youth voices at the forefront of this conversation – not as an afterthought, but as a guide for the future of AI in Canada.

Over the course of eight months, we convened 100 young Canadians across four regional forums in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Halifax to hear from them directly. They learned from experts, deliberated with other young people, and built policy consensus that impacted Canada's legislative and regulatory approaches to AI.

Partners

Mila, Dialogue on Technology Project

Featured Video

Gen(Z)AI: Canada’s Youth Assembly on Artificial Intelligence

What happens when we give young Canadians a real say in AI governance?

Over seven months and across four cities, Gen(Z)AI brought together one hundred in-person participants, and thousands of virtually engaged young Canadians, to deliberate on and draft policy recommendations for AI governance in Canada. The result was something rarely achieved in technology policy: the democratic voice of those who have the most to gain or lose, speaking clearly and in their own name.

Featured Publication

Gen(Z)AI: Youth Voices, AI Futures

April 2026

We offer this report to those shaping the future of AI in Canada: to policymakers tasked with designing guardrails for a rapidly evolving technology; to civil society organizations, researchers, and practitioners seeking more meaningful ways to engage the public; and to members of the public who rightly expect to have a voice in decisions that will shape their lives. The recommendations presented here are evidence-based, consensus-built, and grounded in the realities of how AI and online harms are actually experienced by young people. They are written in the participants’ own words, drafted and ratified through the deliberative process described in this report, and presented here without alteration.

We are confident that the recommendations drafted by Gen(Z)AI participants represent something rarely achieved in technology governance: the democratic voice of those who have the most to gain or lose, speaking clearly and in their own name.