AI roadmap

As we navigate the evolving landscape of AI, we’ve laid the groundwork for ethical adoption, secure data practices, meaningful innovation, and how we’re empowering our people, processes, and technologies to make AI a trusted enabler of transformation across the University.

roadmap illustrating the transition of the University of Ottawa towards an AI-literate campus. The pathway, shaped like a curved road, depicts the journey from "CURRENT STATE (2025)" to "FUTURE STATE (2027)." Along the road are milestones with icons and accompanying text that describe the steps: "AI Governance" ("Align Al projects with policies and ethics to ensure responsible oversight"), "Data Governance" ("Build trusted, secure, high-quality data as the backbone for Al"), "People" ("Develop Al

Current state

In 2025, uOttawa has put in place foundational structures for responsible AI adoption. AI usage guidelines (access to the document available to uOttawa employees only) provide direction on reasonable and ethical use of artificial intelligence while protecting personal information, in line with the University’s privacy obligations. Complementing this, the Cybersecurity and AI Guidelines set standards to safeguard institutional data and mitigate risks. An AI advisory working group has been launched to provide oversight, and the first AI pilots, including chatbots and Microsoft Copilot have been deployed. Strong cloud and collaboration foundations (AWS, Microsoft, GitHub) are in place, while a Data Governance approaches are being discussed but are not yet fully operationalized. In addition, processes for defining and managing AI use cases have been established, setting the stage for scaled adoption.

AI pillars

Pillar 1 - AI governance

  • Align AI projects with institutional policies and risk posture.
  • Define and maintain clear AI standards, and oversight.
  • Promote responsible, ethical AI practices and transparency.

Pillar 2 - Data governance

  • Operationalize the AI data governance framework.
  • Define AI-specific rules for privacy, security and compliance.
  • Enable trusted, high-quality data products for analytics and AI.

Pillar 3 - People

  • Build AI skills and literacy across staff, faculty, and students.
  • Expand the AI team with specialized expertise.
  • Personalize employee learning pathways for AI adoption.

Pillar 4 - Technology

  • Scale deployment of Gen AI copilots (M365, GitHub, and others) to enhance productivity and collaboration.
  • Expand the chatbot ecosystem using Agentic AI to deliver personalized support for students and employees.
  • Strengthen cloud and infrastructure foundations to enable Decision Intelligence and data-driven operations across the institution.

Pillar 5 - Processes

  • Optimize and automate core business processes with AI.
  • Integrate AI into service delivery and decision-making.
  • Establish continuous improvement cycles for AI initiatives.

Future State

By 2027, uOttawa will be broadly AI-literate campus where staff, faculty, and students confidently use AI in their daily work. AI-enabled decision-making will guide strategic planning and operations, while institution-wide initiatives will be embedded across teaching, research, and administration. Trusted AI systems will provide reliable insights and automation to streamline processes, supporting both efficiency and transparency. Ultimately, AI will act as a strategic enabler for innovation, student experience, and university growth. Powered by a Gen AI Platform, enhanced through Decision Intelligence, and transformed by Agentic AI.