Amii Fuels Canada’s AI Momentum as Upper Bound Opens with 53% Growth and 11,000 Global Attendees

Canada’s fastest-growing AI event sells out a month in advance, cementing Edmonton as a global anchor for AI innovation and literacy

EDMONTON, Alberta, May 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amii (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) today officially opens the fifth annual Upper Bound, the premier AI conference that has surpassed all projections to become a cornerstone of the global AI calendar. Welcoming 11,000 researchers, business leaders, and policymakers representing 22 countries, the event has seen a staggering 53% year-over-year surge in scale.

This momentum is fueled by sold-out event passes, a growing roster of community-led sessions, and K-9 school takeovers. This growing demand solidifies Amii’s role as a central pillar in Canada’s AI ecosystem. By connecting world-leading AI research with business leaders, policy-makers, founders, students and educators, Amii is moving beyond theory to transform an optimistic vision for AI into a tangible economic and social reality.

A Convergence of Global Leadership

Upper Bound 2026 features a high-level intersection of government and industry, including:

• Federal & Provincial Leadership:
  • The Hon. Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence & Digital Innovation and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario, Government of Canada
  • The Hon. Eleanor Olszeweski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, Government of Canada
  • The Hon. Nate Glubish, Minister of Technology and Innovation, Government of Alberta
  • The Hon. Myles McDougall, Minister of Advanced Education, Government of Alberta
• Industry Titans: On-stage insights and representation from global leaders at Google, Anthropic, Meta, Sony AI, Electronic Arts and Mozilla.

Scaling Canada’s AI Talent Pipeline

The event also serves as a unique immersive training experience for Amii’s massive national training initiatives. This year, Upper Bound welcomes participants from:

• AI Workforce Readiness (AIWR) initiative: A $5M initiative supported by Google.org equipping 125,000 post-secondary students across 57 post-secondary institutions with AI skills.
• AI Pathways: A $10.4M Government of Canada investment empowering 6,000 energy workers with tailored AI training for the low-carbon economy.

Quotes:

“Upper Bound has grown in tandem with the unprecedented acceleration of AI, from advancing world-class research to driving global business adoption and literacy. We are immensely proud to have built a premier platform where a unique cross-section of attendees can connect, ensuring that diverse perspectives shape the next five years of AI innovation. This is where an optimistic AI future is both imagined and realized.” - Cam Linke, Amii CEO

“Canada’s leadership in artificial intelligence is grounded in world-class research and a commitment to translating innovation into real economic impact. The overwhelming demand for Upper Bound reflects the appetite to engage with Canada’s AI ecosystem and the momentum we are building to position our country at the forefront of AI.” - The Hon. Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, Government of Canada.

Event attendees will dive deep into themes critical to the field's future, including AI for Health, Generative AI for Business Productivity, Ethical Governance, AI Literacy & Education, Energy & the Environment, Blue Sky Research, and more. The program also features an exclusive CEO Circle curated by Cam Linke, designed to spotlight pivotal AI trends and strategic opportunities for today’s executive leaders.

Upper Bound takes place May 19-22 in Edmonton. Full schedule and early access for Upper Bound 2027 available at: www.upperbound.a

About Amii:
Amii (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) is one of Canada's three National AI Institutes. Based in Alberta, Amii supports world-leading research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) and translates scientific advancement into industry adoption. Amii is dedicated to advancing leading-edge research, delivering exceptional educational offerings, and providing business advice—all to bring AI out of the lab and into the world. www.amii.ca

Media Contact: Lynda Vang, Media & Communications Manager, Amii lynda.vang@amii.ca