When I was growing up, the future was imagined through the pages of Popular Mechanics and the world of Star Trek - a place of flying cars, warp drives, and artificial intelligence that could think, reason, and learn. While we may not yet be piloting airborne vehicles in our daily commutes, the future envisioned by Gene Roddenberry is no longer science fiction. The power of AI and advanced digital technologies is reshaping how we work, learn and live, and it is transforming the nature of discovery itself.

For Canada, the opportunity, and responsibility, is clear. We must ensure that our research and innovation systems are positioned to not only harness these tools but to lead in developing and deploying them responsibly, ethically and inclusively.

Beyond automation, AI's transformative potential lies in how it can augment human creativity, accelerate discovery and enable more intentional and sustainable research design. AI systems and tools could help scientists design and test hypotheses virtually before moving to the lab or enable researchers to demonstrate the societal impact of their work through new frameworks of assessment. These possibilities redefine what it means to be a university in a digital age - one that is more intentional, interdisciplinary and globally connected. The question before us is not whether universities can keep up, but how they must evolve to enable and govern these shifts responsibly.

The pace of change challenges our traditional institutional structures with implications for research policy, funding frameworks and how we measure innovation success. Universities must reimagine how we support researchers and learners alike. At Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), we are exploring how AI can personalize research support, streamline knowledge mobilization and identify opportunities for collaboration and impact. AI has the potential to empower researchers to focus on creativity, curiosity and complex problem-solving. It also means strengthening partnerships between universities, government and industry; supporting data infrastructure and computing capacity; and ensuring that the benefits of innovation are widely shared.

At the same time, the ethical, legal and social dimensions of AI demand our attention. Canada has a responsibility to lead with values, advancing AI that promotes equity, inclusion and human well-being. We must ensure that our datasets reflect the diversity of our society and that Indigenous data sovereignty and cultural contexts are built into the large language models shaping our collective future. Our efforts must also address the shifting dynamics of work and talent. TMU's Future Skills Centre, Magnet and Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst are helping Canada understand how automation and AI are reshaping labour markets, industries and education systems. Our research shows that work is not disappearing, rather it is evolving. Routine tasks are giving way to hybrid roles that blend human judgment with machine intelligence. These shifts call for a transformation in how we educate and train talent for the jobs of tomorrow.

If Canada is to maintain and strengthen its global standing in the knowledge economy, we must invest in both technology and people. That is why TMU sees AI as a tool for social good, a means to tackle the most complex and urgent problems of our time, from climate resilience and cybersecurity to health equity and sustainable cities. Moving forward, Canadian research will depend on our ability to combine technological strength with human insight, creativity and compassion.