Sabrina Geremia is the Country Managing Director at Google Canada. She sat down with The Peak to talk about the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the future of work.
Is there a misconception about your industry that you’d be eager to correct?
That implementing AI is something that only the CTO or CIO should be thinking about. If Canada is going to take advantage of this incredible technology to drive productivity, then leaders across the entire organization — the CMO, CHRO, Head of Sales, and everyone in between — should be thinking about how this can help them strengthen their business. It’s a team sport.
Do the rest of us really need all these new workplace AI tools?
This is a huge moment, because AI really is a general-purpose tool that can be used across the workforce. It also has the potential to boost productivity by saving the average worker 175 hours a year (around four weeks per person). Using AI allows you to focus on more strategic and creative tasks, and I’d encourage everyone to see how AI tools can be applied in their own roles. Our recently launched AI Essentials course is a great starting point.
What is the most underrated Google tool, service, or feature?
Google Translate is a tool that continues to amaze me every day, particularly as recent advances in AI have allowed us to improve quality and add hundreds of new languages. It was built in 2006 and originally had just two languages to help government officials translate documents for the United Nations. And now it has over 250 languages, and we’re working on a thousand.
Most recently, we added Inuktut, the language spoken by over 39,000 Inuit in Canada. Inuktut is an exceedingly complex language to translate well, and we are very grateful to the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and many first-language speakers of Inuktut who helped us get it right.
What can you tell us about Google’s mission today that would hint at where the company will be in the next 10 years?
We’ve been investing in AI research, tools, and infrastructure for two decades because it’s the most profound way we advance our mission: to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Newer technologies like generative AI can boost Canada’s economy by $230 billion.
What’s taking up most of your attention these days?
I’m working with companies across Canada to implement AI effectively. This is a transformational moment, and the ones that do it well get three things right. I like to call it the ABCs of successful AI adoption: all teams and always learning, set bold business goals, and the importance of culture in implementing change.
You once said the best professional advice is to "skate to where the puck is going.” That was 10 years ago. What do you think the future looks like from where you stand today?
I was talking to my kids about this recently, because when I was 13, smart phones didn’t exist, Google didn’t exist, and my job couldn’t have existed. They’re probably going to be in the same situation, with technology reshaping norms. My advice is to adopt the mindset of a continuous learner and diversify your experiences and skills. Learn about lots of different subjects, then see how AI and technology can help solve problems in the areas you’re most interested in. I’m inspired by the work of Google DeepMind — it is solving big problems with AI in critical fields like healthcare and climate change.
Is there a book you’ve read recently that you’d recommend?
I’m a big fiction reader and loved Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, and on the non-fiction front, Possible by William Ury.
Last question: do you have an all-time favourite Google Doodle?
For the past several years, we’ve commissioned a Google Doodle from an Indigenous artist to recognize National Indigenous Peoples Day. It’s always my favourite Doodle of the year, and I found this year’s Doodle from Shaikara David particularly inspiring. The Doodle honours the vibrant tradition of ribbon shirts and ribbon skirts worn by Indigenous communities across Turtle Island (North America), and are symbols of identity, resilience, and cultural reclamation.