Impact Report 2020-21: Creating the Future of Machine Intelligence

Amii launches Impact Report 2020-21

This past year has been an amazing year for Amii and AI in Alberta. Our teams have been working to inspire world-changing machine intelligence in our clients, partners and the world’s AI community. With so many successes, we are proud to present to you our Impact Report 2020-21. Read my thoughts below on Amii’s past year, and on how – together – we can create the future of machine intelligence.

Amii plays a unique role in the AI community globally. We’re a world-leading research institute, producing some of the top talent and the top research – and at the same time – playing this translational role between academia and business in placing talent, in making sure that the expertise and research we’re creating is connected into the world and having a big impact.

Talent drives success in AI.

Investing in AI isn’t new here in Alberta. We’ve been investing in it for decades. Because of that, we’ve been able to attract and retain a lot of the top research talent, a lot of the top technical talent and a lot of the top minds in the world in what is now the most important technology in the world.

This last year has really been a tipping point for AI in Alberta. Where we’ve been historically great at research and historically great at creating AI in the academic setting, what we’ve seen over the past year is really how that can translate into impact on the business side.

We’ve seen large companies like Roche choose Edmonton as a place for one of their AI centres of excellence to gain access to the incredible talent that we have here. We’ve seen AI-focused startups raise millions of dollars and hire like crazy to be able to grow and use AI to impact the world. We’ve seen existing companies here in the province leverage AI to have a huge impact on big challenges like reducing emissions, optimizing supply chains and having a big impact on people’s lives.

Through that, we’ve seen a broader group of people begin to interact with AI and begin to leverage AI in what they’re doing. From executives having it be a core focus for what their company is doing going forward, from product managers starting to integrate it into products that they’re building, and upskilling people to be able to have a role in the new AI-driven economy through things like our ML technician program.

This coming year, we’re excited to continue to grow our talent base and give it more and more opportunities to have a big impact on the world. Whether that’s through joining an existing company to be able to amplify their AI work, whether it’s starting a new startup or joining a startup to be able to create something new, or whether it’s attracting and joining companies that are coming here from around the world to be able to tap into what we’re building.

AI is impacting every industry around the world.

Now is the time to assess where your company is on the AI adoption spectrum and to look at what you need to do to move up it. Companies around the world are leveraging AI to create new competitive advantage and to grow. The opportunity we have in Alberta is that that expertise exists right here. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in that expertise and to create the competitive advantage that’s going to drive your company for the next decade and beyond.

AI is the future of Alberta. Now is the time to invest in your company, in your people, in the community and the talent to be part of Alberta’s global leadership in AI.

I hope you’ll join us not only in celebrating Amii’s successes of this past year but also in creating the future of machine intelligence right here in Alberta.

Read our Impact Report 2020-21 today.

– Cam Linke, CEO