Canvas AI Features (Ignite AI)
In July 2025, Canvas announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI to bring AI-powered teaching, learning, accessibility, and productivity tools directly into Canvas. New AI features continue to be released throughout 2025 and 2026, with availability varying by institutional licensing and Canvas product tier.
Canvas' official announcement can be found here: Instructure and OpenAI Announce Global Partnership to Embed AI Learning Experiences within Canvas. Canvas AI feature availability continues to evolve and may vary based on Canvas licensing tiers, institutional settings, and feature availability from Instructure.
Included below are all officially announced or previewed AI tools tied to IgniteAI/Canvas AI/Canvas AI that are showing up in release notes and Canvas help pages as of early 2026.
Last updated 6/12/2026
Note: Canvas AI features are distributed across Canvas Core, Canvas Plus, and Canvas Next product tiers. Boise State University currently licenses Canvas Core. Some AI features referenced below may require additional licensing and are not currently available at Boise State.
IgniteAI/Canvas AI essentials and accessibility tools
Quick List of Available AI Tools at Boise State University
Currently Available at Boise State
Discussion Summaries
IgniteAI Search for Courses
AI-Powered Translation for Discussions, Announcements, and Inbox
Accessibility Remediation Tools (Canvas Ally and Ignite AI/Canvas AI accessibility enhancements where available)
Not Currently Available
AI Question Authoring
Rubric Generation
Grading Assistance
Discussion Insights
IgniteAI Agent
IgniteAI/Canvas AI are integrated throughout Canvas to support teaching, learning, accessibility, communication, assessment creation, and course management tasks.
Depending on licensing and feature availability, these tools may assist with tasks such as summarizing discussions, translating content, generating quiz questions, creating rubrics, identifying accessibility issues, and providing instructional insights.across Canvas, IgniteAI/Canvas AI/Canvas AI.
It can be used by instructors (and in some cases students) “directly within Canvas or Mastery to conduct tasks such as creating quizzes, generating rubrics, summarizing discussions, aligning content to outcomes and more” (press release linked below).
Important: AI-generated content should always be reviewed by instructors. IgniteAI/Canvas AI/Canvas AI does not verify accuracy, sources, or potential bias.
Ignite AI Essentials / Features | Primary Audience | Description of Tool Admin Notes | Link to Resources |
|---|---|---|---|
IgniteAI Summaries for Discussions | Faculty | Generates a concise summary of a Canvas discussion, helping instructors quickly identify key themes, questions, and areas of student engagement without reading every post. Canvas settings as of June 11 2026 Prod: Allowed for courses, default on Beta: Enabled for all courses | Dedicated KB article: https://talk.confluence.boisestate.edu/wiki/x/EgDJpg |
IgniteAI Search for Courses | Students, Faculty | Allows students and instructors to search course content using natural language questions instead of exact keywords. Results are based on the meaning and context of course materials. Canvas settings as of June 11 2026 Prod: Allowed for courses, default off Beta: Disabled for all courses | Dedicated KB articles: IgniteAI Search for Courses
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IgniteAI Translations for Discussions and Announcements Translations for Inbox, | Students, Faculty | Provides AI-powered translation of supported Discussions, Announcements, and Inbox messages directly within Canvas, helping users communicate across multiple languages. Canvas settings as of June 11 2026 Translations for Inbox: Prod: Disabled Beta: Enabled Translations for Discussions and Announcements: Prod: Disabled for all courses Beta: Disabled for all courses | Dedicated KB article: https://talk.confluence.boisestate.edu/wiki/x/JQAUsw |
IgniteAI Question Authoring Assistance for Quizzes | Not available at Boise State University | Helps instructors draft quiz questions from existing course content. Generated questions can be reviewed and edited before being added to a quiz. Canvas settings as of June 11 2026 Prod: Disabled for all courses Beta: Allowed for all courses, default on | Not available at Boise State University |
IgniteAI Accessibility Remediation for Courses | This will be turned on in Fall 2026. | Assists instructors with fixing common accessibility issues identified by the Canvas Accessibility Checker, reducing the amount of manual remediation required. Canvas settings as of June 11 2026 Prod: Disabled Beta: Disabled | To be developed. |
IgniteAI Insights for Discussions
| Faculty | Provides instructor-focused insights about individual student participation in discussions, helping identify meaningful contributions and support grading workflows. Canvas settings as of June 11 2026 Prod: Allowed for courses, default off Beta: Disabled for all courses | *this tool will become unavailable on Jun 30, 2026 |
IgniteAI Generator for Rubrics
| Faculty | Creates a draft rubric based on an assignment title and description. Instructors can review, modify, and customize the generated criteria before use. Canvas settings as of June 11 2026 Prod: Allowed for Courses, default off Beta: Disabled for all courses | *this tool will become unavailable on Jun 30, 2026 |
IgniteAI Grading Assistance for Speedgrader | Not available at Boise State University | Generates suggested rubric scores and feedback for eligible assignments in SpeedGrader. Instructors remain responsible for reviewing and finalizing grades and feedback. Canvas settings as of June 11 2026 Prod: Disabled for all courses Beta: Disabled for all courses | Not available at Boise State University |
IgniteAI Agent for instructors IgniteAI Agent for admins | Not available at Boise State University | A conversational AI assistant that can perform Canvas-related tasks and workflows through natural language requests. Features and capabilities vary by role and institutional configuration. The two features are distinct. Canvas settings as of June 11 2026 IgniteAI Agent Admin: Prod: Disabled Beta: Enabled IgniteAI Agent - Teachers: Prod: Disabled Beta: Disabled | Not available at Boise State University |
IgniteAI Ask Your Data for admins | Staff / Faculty | Allows administrators and institutional leaders to ask questions about Canvas data using natural language and receive insights from Intelligent Insights reporting data. Canvas settings as of June 11 2026 Feature is in Analytics Hub > Intelligent Insights and Canvas Next only |
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IgniteAI Study Tools for learners | Not available at Boise State University | Helps students create personalized study materials, such as summaries, practice questions, and study guides, from course content within Canvas. Canvas settings as of June 11 2026 Prod: Not in production Beta: Disabled for all courses | Not available at Boise State University |
Boise State Guidance on AI Features
Boise State University evaluates Canvas AI features based on:
Cost and long-term sustainability
Data privacy and security
Pedagogical value
Accessibility and Inclusive Design
At this time, Boise State prioritizes features that are:
Included in Canvas Core (no additional cost)
Instructor-controlled
Transparent in their use of AI
Accessibility and Inclusive Design
Responsible Use of AI in Canvas
Verify factual accuracy before publishing AI-generated content.
Review AI-generated accessibility recommendations before applying changes.
Maintain appropriate human oversight for grading and assessment decisions.
Follow Boise State policies regarding student data and privacy.
AI Feature and Functionality Next Steps
If you have questions, comments, or feedback about any of these tools, please Contact the Boise State Help Desk.
For more information about how features are selected to be turned on or not, see How Tool Changes Make Their Way Into Boise State Tools.
Question: Will these features be available by sub-account or globally, across all of Boise State Canvas? Availability may also depend on Canvas feature tiers and licensing levels.
Answer: Availability varies by feature. Historically, Canvas has supported a mix of institution-wide, sub-account, and course-level feature controls. Canvas has not yet published administration details for every upcoming AI feature.