Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ontario, has launched a pilot program for an AI Learning Agent designed to enhance academic integrity and promote ethical decision-making among students. This innovative program is being tested during the winter and spring terms of 2026, with participation from 22 undergraduate and graduate courses across all faculties at the university. The goal is to provide students with a tool that encourages critical thinking and responsible AI use while promoting trust and accountability in the learning process.
The AI Learning Agent is an in-house developed course-based learning system that differs from typical AI tools. Unlike many public AI tools that generate answers, the Learning Agent prompts students with guiding questions aligned to the course’s learning outcomes, helping them explore and arrive at solutions on their own. This approach emphasizes the importance of judgment, integrity, and human decision-making, reinforcing the role of faculty-led discussions and hands-on engagement in the classroom.
Ontario Tech University’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Steven Murphy, explained, “Canada’s AI sector is a key job creator and driver of productivity, innovation, GDP, and economic growth. Universities have a responsibility to teach students how to develop and use AI systems to serve humanity.” Murphy emphasized the importance of the university’s leadership role in shaping the future of AI development, ensuring that students are prepared to use AI responsibly and thoughtfully.
What makes this initiative unique is the collaborative approach to developing the system. Students at Ontario Tech are directly involved in testing the Learning Agent and providing feedback that will help refine the system, influence governance decisions, and guide future developments. Manny Kandola, the Chief Technology Officer at Ontario Tech, highlighted that this process prepares students not just to use AI but to design, test, and govern AI tools in a way that builds trust and ensures ethical use.
A key feature of the Learning Agent is its ability to draw from instructor-approved materials, ensuring that the AI only uses reliable, course-specific information. This built-in safeguard reduces bias, prevents misuse, and ensures that academic standards are maintained. The AI does not generate answers but instead guides students by asking open-ended questions that stimulate thought and encourage problem-solving skills.
By integrating AI into everyday learning, the university is providing a real-world testbed for AI design, allowing students to experience firsthand how AI tools should be structured and managed to serve human needs responsibly. This pilot program is part of a larger effort at Ontario Tech University to foster ethical, people-first AI, in line with its broader initiative to prepare students for careers in fields that are still evolving.
Additionally, the Mindful Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (MAIRI) at Ontario Tech is working to ensure that AI development remains thoughtful, inclusive, and beneficial to society. Dr. Peter Lewis, the Director of MAIRI, emphasized the importance of ensuring that AI acknowledges its limitations. “With current AI systems, we really can’t trust them to admit when they don’t know something,” he said, stressing the need for AI to evolve in a way that fosters trust and humility.
The AI Learning Agent is just one part of Ontario Tech’s broader commitment to developing trustworthy AI through collaboration with various partners, including the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Lakeridge Health, Meta, and the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences.
