Reimagining higher education with the Waterloo Futures Lab
Google Blog 2026-07-16 16:00:00
Context: The University of Waterloo and Google have partnered to launch the Waterloo Futures Lab, an eight-week program that helps students from diverse majors build real-world AI tools and develop the skills they need for future careers. The program, now in its second year, aims to prepare graduates to thrive in an automated world by providing them with practical technical skills, improving communication, and building confidence. The Futures Lab brings together students from various disciplines to work in interdisciplinary teams and develop artificial intelligence prototypes with expert mentorship.
Key Facts
- The Futures Lab is an eight-week program where students from diverse majors work together in interdisciplinary teams to build artificial intelligence prototypes with expert mentorship from Google.
- Past projects have included SignFluent, an American Sign Language learning tool that gives users real-time feedback, and Kanji Garden, an app that teaches Japanese through AI-generated stories and visuals.
- The program helps students gain practical technical skills, improve communication, and build confidence for their future careers by providing a low-pressure environment to build real technology and conduct testing with actual users.
- Students who have completed the program have reported that it has helped them develop crucial communication skills, including confidence on stage, rapid storytelling via 30-second pitches, and the ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical audiences.
- The Futures Lab has shown that its program delivers real-world value in five key areas: hands-on experience, practical application of design thinking, collaboration in interdisciplinary teams, crucial communication skills development, and increased career readiness and credibility.