U of A named top AI university in Canada

EDMONTON — Measuring both research strength and academic reputation, the U.S. News 2025-2026 Best Global Universities Rankings place the University of Alberta first in Canada and 53rd in the world for artificial intelligence.

“The University of Alberta being recognized as Canada’s top institution in artificial intelligence is a testament to the groundbreaking work our faculty and students are doing, using the latest tools and technology to create an ecosystem of innovation,” says Bill Flanagan (pictured), president and vice-chancellor, noting that artificial intelligence is one of the U of A’s global areas of excellence, as outlined in Shape, the 10-year strategic plan.

“Our north star is impact, and advances in this field have the potential to transform society.”

U of A researchers are harnessing their expertise for a variety of projects, from helping emergency doctors save time and improve patient care with an AI note-taking tool to evaluating the total amount of boreal forest available to mitigate climate change and creating apps that allow people with disabilities to overcome mobility obstacles.

“This ranking underscores the University of Alberta’s reputation, both globally and nationally, as a leader in the field of artificial intelligence, machine learning and reinforcement learning,” says Matina Kalcounis-Rueppell, dean and vice provost of the College of Natural + Applied Sciences. “We are very proud of this achievement, which is a testament to the exceptional researchers and their groups, including students, at the U of A.”

“This ranking speaks volumes about the impact of our research and the way it continues to drive innovation and productivity across all sectors, from health care to finance, energy to agriculture.”

The university has numerous partnerships with industry, such as the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii), and 24 Canada CIFAR AI Chairs including Richard Sutton, who was awarded the A.M. Turing Award earlier this year for his work as one of the founders of reinforcement learning. In May 2025 the College of Health Sciences launched the AI + Health Hub, which seeks to fast track solutions to health-care challenges, from quicker diagnoses to drug discovery.

U.S. News evaluated 2,250 of the world’s top universities for the 2025 ranking, considering several measures including publications and citations to determine research performance.

Earlier this month, the U of A was ranked eighth in the world for its impact on sustainability by the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings and rose to 94th in the world and fourth in Canada in the prestigious 2026 QS World University Rankings.