At ShiftKey, we create new ways to inspire Atlantic Canadians and support them engaging with the ever-changing tech landscape. So, we are proudly introducing the Academy UP: AI Series program, generously supported by our partner, Cognizant.
This program is designed for established working professionals who want to learn the best practices for leveraging AI to achieve their professional goals. No matter if you have been using ChatGPT since its release or have no idea how AI works, our AI Series will equip you with the tools you need.
“We noticed again and again how professionals are expressing a desire to learn more about AI tools, how they work and how to best use them,” Or Denemark, who leads the ShiftKey Academy program, explains.
As producer of the AI Series and with the support of the ShiftKey team, Denemark researched how to create courses tailored to professionals who work outside of the tech field.
“As you can imagine, there are many things to think about when creating a course,” he continues. “What topics should we cover? How in-depth is it going to be? Who would be the best person to teach it? What is an appropriate scope or time frame? How would people hear about it? And how would they register if they are interested?”
Introducing Responsible AI for Business Leaders
For the first course, Responsible AI for Business Leaders, ShiftKey brought on Dr. Frank Rudzicz, a professor at Dalhousie’s Faculty of Computer Science and Director of the university’s AI Institute. Rudzicz was more than happy to merge the Institute’s mandate of AI education with ShiftKey and Cognizant’s mission to support participants’ tech skills needed in the industry.
In Responsible AI for Business Leaders, a beginner-friendly course, participants will develop their understanding of how to use AI ethically. They will explore ways to implement accountable AI systems and learn about the legal safeguards required at their workplaces to use these programs. To tie it all off, participants will complete a Capstone project at the end of the course.
“A lot of these topics are part of my research, such as bias and fairness and privacy, so I’m already familiar with the latest developments, and my work in AI and Health helped prepare for some of the regulatory aspects. However, to ensure we’re up-to-date, I went back to the drawing board and reviewed new material specific for this course,” Rudzicz explains, adding that he hopes to create “a vibrant ecosystem of companies, non-profits, and other organizations developing their own Responsible AI right here in Canada to help good uses of these technologies flourish.”
Rudzicz is also excited about teaching participants the technical parts of using ethical AI. “I am looking forward to getting into some technical details, so the course has a good balance, even if you’ve not worked in this area before.”
What Participants Will Learn
Both Denemark and Rudzicz are confident that participants will learn essential tools that they can take to their workplaces.
“I believe that any tool is as good as the way you use it,” Denemark says. “As we are all well aware, AI tools are very powerful and can make light work of most tasks. I hope that participants of this course will come out of it with a better understanding of how the tools function and how they could assist them in their daily work.”
Rudzicz agrees.
“I hope participants will learn how to be AI leaders in their organizations, and how to set up the right tools and processes to ensure that those organizations can effectively deploy AI in meaningful, positive ways,” he says.
Looking Forward
Responsible AI for Business Leaders is only the first course in the Academy UP: AI Series. Denemark hopes that the program can flourish, providing professionals with multiple courses to learn about how AI can be useful in different industries or situations.
“Even though many AI tools rely on similar LLMs to function, they each have limitations and specializations,” Denemark describes. “Moving forward, I would like to see additional courses in the AI Series with a narrower, deeper scope covering specific industries. For example, covering AI tool applications in agriculture or deep sea monitoring.”
Sign up soon! Academy UP AI Series: Responsible AI for Business Leaders is currently 50% off and begins on August 1st, 2025 on a rolling enrolment basis. Participants will have 10 weeks (15–20 hours total) to complete the self-paced semi-synchronous course.
If you have any questions or would like to know more, email Or Denemark, Academy Program Coordinator, at info@shiftkeylabs.ca
Sign up for the course here.
