George Brown Polytechnic's 2026 AI Innovation Challenge Showcase drew nearly 100 enthusiastic attendees to Limberlost Place, where 28 teams presented projects designed to strengthen how the institution educates, supports students, and operates daily. The event reflected a collaborative, future-focused environment, with teams sharing lessons learned as they move from exploration to responsible, practical implementation.
Leadership charts a bold path forward
In her opening remarks, Leslie Quinlan, Senior Vice-President of People and Enablement, encouraged the community to develop the skills and tools necessary for the future, emphasizing the opportunity to enhance learning experiences while using AI ethically and responsibly. She highlighted George Brown's shift from theoretical discussions to practical, tangible innovation, celebrating the collective effort to position the institution as a leader in AI in Education (AIED).
"This challenge brought our community together around a shared goal: identifying practical, responsible applications of AI that strengthen learning, student support, and operational effectiveness," said Shehroze Saharan, Senior Manager, Institutional AI Strategy Development and Support. "What we are seeing is a shift from experimentation to coordinated institutional capability. When teams collaborate across departments and innovate together, we can scale relevant solutions that create measurable, sustainable impact. The future of AI in education isn't just about technology; it's about people. Let's come together to think boldly, question deeply, and act purposefully."
Steve Camacho, George Brown's Chief Information Officer, highlighted measurable growth in institutional adoption. In this pilot program with 244 active licences, ChatGPT Edu activity increased from 5,000 monthly query messages in June 2025 to over 32,000 in February 2026, with more than 150 custom GPTs created in just eight months, reflecting growing institutional capacity and engagement across academic and operational areas.
Innovations built for learning, support, and efficiency
The cohort's prototypes demonstrated practical applications across teaching, student support, and institutional operations. Teams showcased a wide range of ideas and solutions, including a flipped-classroom companion, tools supporting universal design for learning, sustainability-driven applications, an enterprise automation framework, hybrid-work scheduling solutions, customized learning journeys and onboarding tools, and advanced data and analytics applications.
Collectively, these ideas and projects show how AI can enhance student experiences, streamline operations, and support innovation in teaching and service delivery.
Microsoft offers industry insight
A highlight of the afternoon was the featured presentation from Alex Chan, Director of Cloud and Artificial Intelligence for Higher Education at Microsoft. Chan discussed the future of AI in the public sector and academic settings, touching on AI decentralization, transparency, and Microsoft's commitment to keeping institutional data securely within Canada, as well as key considerations for post-secondary institutions as they scale AI within Canadian privacy, security, and regulatory frameworks.
Building long-term institutional AI capacity
The AI Innovation Challenge is part of George Brown's broader institutional AI strategy, supporting employees in developing practical tools across teaching, student support, and operations.
Projects will continue throughout 2026 as teams further develop and refine their work. George Brown will continue supporting responsible AI innovation across academic and operational areas, and the AI Innovation Challenge will move forward in 2026 with continued participation from current teams and the addition of a new cohort.
