Ithaca Family Academy

Elite Interviews

AI and Canada's Future

Ten weeks of fieldwork. Five research angles. One documentary.

Fall 2026G9-G12Small Cohort8-10 Weeks
Apply Now
Students in professional attire discussing research topics
“Canada pioneered deep learning. Why hasn’t that translated into economic leadership?”

Geoffrey Hinton in Toronto. Yoshua Bengio in Montreal. Deep learning was born here. Yet commercialization, talent, and productivity have steadily migrated south. This is the question your team will investigate, and the story your documentary will tell.

Why Now

On June 4, 2026, the federal government released its national AI strategy “AI for All.” An entire semester of student research coincides with the nation asking the same questions.

$200BGDP Growth Target
250,000New AI-Related Positions
12% → 60%Enterprise AI Adoption by 2034

Five Research Tracks

Each student claims one track and owns it for the semester.

01

Talent

Why does top AI talent keep flowing south? Is immigration policy a trump card or an illusion?

02

Capital

World-class research, scale-up fatigue. From Element AI to Cohere.

03

Policy

From $20B in sovereign compute to “AI for All” - do government milestones actually work?

04

Industry

Banks, hospitals, farms still struggle to adopt AI. What is blocking real productivity gains?

05

Education

Is Ontario preparing high schoolers for the AI era? You are the stakeholder on this one.

Mentor guiding students through research on laptops

Who You'll Interview

Students presenting research findings to an audience

Academia

  • University professors
  • Researchers
  • Graduate students and postdocs

Industry & Startups

  • AI engineers
  • Founders
  • Major AI research labs

Policy & Public

  • Policy researchers
  • Think tank scholars
  • Legislators' offices

Ten Weeks, Three Phases

Phase 01

Research

Weeks 1-3

  • Background literature review
  • Interview outline design
  • Guest outreach and scheduling
Phase 02

Fieldwork

Weeks 4-7

  • Lead and support interviewing
  • Camera and audio operation
  • Note-taking and role rotation
Phase 03

Production

Weeks 8-10

  • Research report drafting
  • Documentary rough-cut editing
  • Screening and public release

What You'll Produce

Portfolio-Ready

English Research Report

Literature review, interview evidence, and original conclusions. Directly usable as a university application portfolio piece.

Literature ReviewInterview EvidenceOriginal Analysis
8-12 Min, Published

English Mini-Documentary

Interview footage, narration, and data visualization. Edited and publicly released.

Interview ClipsNarrationData Viz

All interviews follow formal consent and likeness-release protocols. Guests confirm before publication. Screening events are open to families.

Frequently Asked Questions

Reach us at joshua.wang@ithacafo.com if you need more information.

What is the Elite Interviews program?
A research and documentary program where students investigate a major societal question through real interviews with experts in academia, industry, and policy. Each student claims one research track and contributes to a team documentary.
Do students need prior interview or filmmaking experience?
No. The research phase covers methodology, interview technique, and documentary production basics. Students learn by doing, with mentor guidance at every step.
What do students take away?
Two portfolio-ready deliverables in English: a research report suitable for university applications, and an 8-12 minute documentary that is publicly released. Both demonstrate real-world research and communication skills.
How are interview contacts arranged?
Our mentors provide guaranteed initial introductions to domain experts. Students also develop their own outreach skills through guided cold-contact exercises. All interviews follow consent and likeness-release protocols.
Is the program conducted in English or Chinese?
All deliverables are produced in English. Interviews may be conducted in either language depending on the guest. Classroom instruction is primarily in English.
Student delivering a professional presentation

Ready to Investigate?

Secure your spot in the 2026 Fall cohort and start building a research portfolio that matters.

Apply Now