Artificial intelligence and its curricula in Canada

Artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining ground in Canada's academic environment thanks to the enormous benefits it generates with tasks including learning, problem solving, planning an effective way to study, making personal or vocational decisions for new immigrants, voice recognition, even the specific way to use transportation in a province, territory or city.  

Hello everyone! My name is Alejandro Caicedo, vocational advisor at Immiland Education, and today I bring you a very interesting topic aimed at international students who want to know a little more about the uses of AI and the academic options for coming to study in Canada.

First I will tell you a little bit about the history of AI, since many people think it is new and is just being discovered now, but it is not. Read with me this short story and throughout the blog I will leave links to universities that offer study programs that specialize in AI. Let's get started!

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From Descartes' ideas to the first half of the twentieth century

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AI is born

AI is born from the union of several disciplines, such as mathematics, logic, computer science, psychology and neuroscience. However, the concept of creating intelligent machines dates back to ancient ideas where René Descartes and some mathematicians, such as George Boole, contemplated that machines could process information in a systematic way. In fact, the field of AI as such began to take shape in the first half of the 20th century.

AI takes its first steps

During the 1960s, the first AI programs capable of solving mathematical problems, proving theorems and even playing chess were developed. Around this time, ELIZA was born, one of the first natural language processing programs, which simulated a conversation with a psychotherapist. 

AI progress is stalled

Between the 1970s and 1980s, there was a considerable slowdown in progress due to lack of technical tools and funding, however, there was still interest in designing so-called "systems of expertise (SE)" that were theorized to be able to mimic human behavior and brilliant minds of the time. Today, an ES applied to AI can simulate the knowledge and analytical skills of a specialist in a particular field!

AI is reborn!

By the 1990s computing power and the availability of large data sets increased, with this AI began to experience a renaissance and from 2010 onwards, the development of deep learning algorithms and neural networks has led to significant advances in fields such as speech recognition, computer vision and machine translation. Notable examples include DeepMind's AlphaGo, which in 2016 beat human champions in the famous game of Go, and virtual assistants such as Siri and Alexa.

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Fun facts about AI: more than 20 years ago, in 1997, IBM's Deep Blue computer won a game against world chess champion Garry Kasparov. 

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And what about Siri and Alexa in the lives of international students?

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Utility of AI in Canadian daily life

Assistants such as Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant can be very useful to find information about a specific province or city in Canada, for example, learn more about its customs, dates of sporting or musical events, as well as places of interest, making it quicker to adapt to the new Canadian culture.

While it's all about discovering a new destination, tools like AI-powered Google Maps can help students get around the country's most populous and cosmopolitan cities - like Toronto, which is super dynamic and Canada's largest! - find public transportation routes and discover essential locations like supermarkets, banks and hospitals. 

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Important: here is a link to learn more about the incredible quality of life in Ontario, the colleges and universities where you can study, the cost of student residences and much more. 

All provinces in Canada are beautiful, welcoming and attractive for an undergraduate degree or major. Which province in Canada would you like to study in? View provinces and living costs.

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IA and curricula with Immiland Education

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At Immiland Education, we offer counseling for students who are seeking diplomas, advanced certificates or master's degrees, we have access to a wide range of academic options that will allow them to develop their AI skills and advance their career. I want to share with you six institutions that offer AI academic programs and are partners of Immiland Education with registration benefits. These are:

1. Centennial College (Toronto, Ontario)
   • Program: Advanced College Diploma - Software Engineering Technology - Artificial Intelligence
   • Type: Advanced College Diploma 3 years. Learn more.

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2. St. Francis Xavier University (StFX) (Antigonish, Nova Scotia)
   • Program: Post Baccalaureate Diploma - Artificial Intelligence
   • Type: Postgraduate Diploma 2 years. 

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3. Humber College (Toronto, Ontario)
   • Program: Graduate Certificate - Artificial Intelligence with Machine Learning
   • Type: Graduate Certificate 1 year. Learn more.

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4. Loyalist College - (Belleville, Ontario)
   
   • Program: Artificial Intelligence and Data Science
   • Type: Graduate Certificate 2 years.
     
      
5. ‍Lakehead University
   • Program: Master of Science - Computer Science - Artificial Intelligence‍
   • Type: Graduate Certificate 2 years. Learn more.

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6. Lambton College (Ottawa, Ontario)
   • Program: Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
   • Type: Graduate Certificate 2 years. Learn more. 

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Some digital AI applications for students in Canada

The Immiland Education team did some research on general applications that can make life easier for new students and here are a few that will fit perfectly into your own Canadian lifestyle:

• Adobe Scan: to convert physical documents into digital files, Grammarly: tool to review and improve grammar, style and clarity in academic texts, Mendeley: bibliographic reference manager and academic social network, Google Maps: to explore the city, find places of interest and get public transportation routes, Meetup: platform to find and join local groups and events, facilitating social integration, Otter.ai: application that automatically transcribes audio recordings into text using AI, others.

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Beware of AI misuse traps!

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It is essential that students learn to use these tools ethically and maintain academic integrity to avoid cheating and misunderstandings. In addition, personal data protection will be a crucial issue and the interaction between students and teachers could change with the use of digital platforms. Always keep in mind that AI offers many opportunities, but it must be handled carefully so that it really benefits everyone in the academic environment.

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Important: before I say goodbye, I leave you with a question that will connect you even more with the exciting world of knowledge: What was the most used word on the web in the year 2022? 

If you are passionate about the field of AI and want to study it in Canada, you can write to us at education@immilandcanada.com or make an appointment. 

Our team can help you find the most suitable program in Canada, depending on your previous studies, employment opportunities after graduation, and even which province is most appropriate for your cost and lifestyle.

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With love,

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Immiland Education