## Breadcrumb 1. [Home](/index%2Ephp/) 2. [News and Stories](/index%2Ephp/news) 3. [OCAD U launches AI Exploration Lab for faculty and staff](/index%2Ephp/markdownify/node/4299) March 26, 2026 # OCAD U launches AI Exploration Lab for faculty and staff ![AI stock photo](/sites/default/files/styles/1_5_1_large/public/2026-03/AI%20General.jpg.webp?itok=N4G6poXJ) The use of artificial intelligence in education is on the rise. rgb(255,255,255) OCAD University has launched the AI Exploration Lab, a monthly workshop for OCAD U faculty, technicians, teaching assistants and academic support staff to explore artificial intelligence tools alongside colleagues in art, design and pedagogy. The series is part of OCAD U’s ongoing efforts to integrate the expertise of the University’s community of artists and designers with experimental learning through exploration and play. Facilitated by OCAD U’s [Centre for Learning & Teaching](https://www.ocadu.ca/about-ocad-u/leadership/office-vp-academic-and-provost/centre-learning-teaching) (CLT) in collaboration with IT Services, the sessions provide an environment where participants of all experience levels can learn from one another, share techniques and explore new directions for engaging with existing and emerging AI tools. The goal is to co-create critical AI literacy by identifying best practices and promising use cases, as well as exploring the ethical considerations specific to OCAD U’s art and design educational environment. As AI continues to evolve too rapidly for a single person to process, the new labs will encourage a distributed approach to knowledge sharing. The lab was launched with an inaugural session on March 30, Intro to Vibe Coding, led by Associate Professor Dr. Adam Tindale and co-facilitated by Emilie Brancato from the CLT and Stevan Plavsa from IT Services. The workshop featured an introduction to “vibe coding” using [Microsoft Copilot](https://copilot.microsoft.com/), where participants learned to generate and experiment with code through conversational prompts. Going forward, each two-hour session will be held online or in person, with the format determined by the tools examined that month. Each session will be led by instructors, technicians and academic support staff and will include demonstrations, guided experimentation and open discussions on the current uses of AI. **Upcoming AI Exploration Lab session for faculty and staff** **April 27: Cogniti** Location and Time: To be confirmed. Chris Landry and Scott Johns from OCAD U’s Library Services will lead an exploration of [Cogniti](https://cogniti.ai/), an AI tool designed and built by educators to create sandboxes and apps where students can learn interactively. More details to be shared with faculty and staff by the Centre for Learning and Teaching. ## Other Recent News [### 2027 Critical Distance Centre for Curators Projections Program Call for Artists OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) and Critical Distance Centre for Curators (CDCC) have partnered to co-create CDCC Projections Program Career Launcher. Four (4) to five (5) selected emerging artists will receive $690 to exhibit work in a single channel, projection-based screening program that will be displayed at the CDCC in March 2027. October 30, 2026 ](/news/2027-critical-distance-centre-curators-projections-program-call-artists) [### OCAD U’s Global Centre for Climate Action and EU bring large-scale art to Toronto’s Canada Malting Silos The Light and Melting Temporalities transformed the waterfront into a canvas for climate reflection. 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