Weytkp, Bonjour, Hello everyone,

Welcome to the first bi-weekly update on TRU’s AI journey — horaizon.

I stepped into the role of special advisor to the president on AI in November and want to start with a heartfelt thank you — kukwstsétsemc. Many of you have welcomed me, shared ideas, and asked thoughtful questions about what AI means for our students, our work, and our region. I’m inspired by the curiosity and student-centered mindset across TRU.

Over the past month, I’ve gathered 400+ pieces of feedback through conversations, surveys, and listening sessions. A clear picture emerged: TRU has strong pockets of innovation, and many of us also want clearer expectations, more support, and space to learn at our own pace. There is cautious optimism across TRU, which grows when people see practical value, clear guardrails, and accessible learning opportunities.

You can find the survey results here; they’ve also been shared with leadership and colleagues closely involved in AI.

Where we are now

We’re now in a 90-day cycle to turn vision into action. The first 30 days were intentionally expansive — surfacing ideas, bright spots, challenges, and the conditions that shape comfort with AI.

We’re now synthesizing those insights to define TRU’s immediate needs — the foundations we must build. Three themes stand out:

Student-centered impact

Early innovators across TRU are already testing AI in teaching, research, operations, and student support. The recent AI Showcase highlighted exciting work. Now we ask: how might we share these innovations, so they’re accessible to all?

Shared expectations

Many are seeking clearer guidance on when and how to use AI, and what “responsible use” means in a fast-changing landscape. Our question becomes: how might TRU provide the guidance and guardrails that enable safe innovation?

Distinctive strengths

TRU’s leadership in sustainability, flexible applied learning, and its dual-sector identity give us a strong foundation. The opportunity ahead is: how might we leverage these strengths to shape our AI approach — in ways that pay tribute to our unique strengths, history, and identity?

Looking ahead

Your voices are guiding where we begin. In the coming months, our focus is on building strong, practical foundations so people can engage confidently with AI.

Work is underway in areas such as:

  • Clear guidance and guardrails for responsible, effective use
  • Practical tools and resources that reduce guesswork
  • Learning pathways that support safe experimentation at each person’s pace
  • Collaborations and partnerships that build on TRU’s strengths

The goal is simple: create the right conditions so people can move from curiosity to capability, and from individual experiments to shared, scalable innovation.

Getting started together

AI will reshape education, work, and society — not overnight, but steadily. TRU’s opportunity is to guide that change with intention, integrity, and perspectives that are uniquely ours.

This is work we build together. If you’d like to be more involved, I write a weekly AI Friday Letter with insights, asks for help, and in-progress thinking. You can join at horaizon-updates@tru.ca. 

Thank you for your openness and partnership. We’re just at the beginning — and I’m excited for where we can go together.

Wishing you all a happy holiday.

Andrea Li
Special Advisor to the President on Artificial Intelligence

Questions? horaizon+andrea@tru.ca