Amii Monthly News - October 2024

One of my favourite things about Upper Bound is how it brings together a diverse group of people working in AI, creating connections and sparking conversations you won’t find anywhere else.

This week, we added the first round of Upper Bound speakers to the website, and already, this year’s event is shaping up to feature some truly inspiring leaders from the AI community, including:

John Carmack: An acclaimed video game developer, entrepreneur, and engineer, John was the lead programmer of classic video games such as DOOM and Quake, and has an impressive record of tech innovation. Last year, his Keen Technologies partnered with our own Rich Sutton to accelerate the development of Artificial General Intelligence.

Janet Bannister: founder of Staircase Ventures, which invests in Canada’s most promising early-stage tech companies. She launched Kijiji.ca and grew it into one of Canada’s most-visited websites. Janet will be sharing what investors and young tech companies need to know to succeed.

Michael Cook: senior lecturer at King’s College London on generative AI and game design. He’s the creator behind the game-designing AI systems ANGELINA and Puck, and is a leader in the community of researchers interested in AI creativity.

We’re continually adding more speakers to the schedule, so be sure to check the website often to stay up-to-date on the incredible lineup we’re building for May.

Now is the perfect time to secure your spot at Upper Bound during our pre-sale—happening now!

Hope to connect with you soon,

October Highlights

Community & Industry Updates:

• Interested in being part of Canada's most exciting AI conference? We've got some incredible Upper Bound 2025 sponsorship benefits. Reach out to Nafisa.Bowen@amii.ca to learn more.
• AI has the potential to have a huge impact on education. Jill Kowalchuk, Amii's Manager of AI Literacy, shares tips for parents and teachers on the best ways to use AI in the classroom.
• Canadian AI is producing world-leading research and driving innovative ways solutions for industry. Check out CIFAR's Impact Report to see how the Pan-Canadian AI strategy is advancing Responsible AI.

Research Updates:

• Congrats to Amii Fellow and Canada CIFAR AI Chair Osmar Zaïane! He'll be honoured next month with a Lifetime Achievement Award from CS-CAN | INFOCAN. Learn more about Osmar's fascinating work on everything from robotics to AI in health.
• Amii Fellow & Canada CIFAR AI Chair Patrick Pilarski and the team at BLINC Lab are heading off to compete in the global Cybathlon competition, and international competition showcasing assistive technologies for individuals with limb differences.

Training Updates:

• ML Foundations 1 is your way to get a basic, high-level understanding of what’s important and relevant in machine learning. Sign up for our Nov. 7 course.
• Then expand on that knowledge with ML Foundations 2, where you'll be introduced to tools, strategies, and knowledge regarding data and ML. The next session is on Nov. 14.
• Learn about the essential ethics considerations for organizations using artificial intelligence in our new AI Ethics 1 and AI Ethics 2 courses. Applications are now open for the next round of sessions.

Career Opportunities

• We're looking for a new Director of Engineering to help optimize Amii's AI workflows and align technical strategy with our mission.
• Are you passionate about innovating with AI at the intersection of industry and academia? We're looking for a new Machine Learning Scientist to join our Advanced Tech team!
• The University of Alberta is looking for a postdoctoral fellow focused on machine learning in medicine, who will work with Russ Greiner's lab and Amii.
• The University of Alberta is also searching for a postdoctoral position in Computational Psychiatry.

Keep up-to-date on all of our open postings on our Career Opportunities page.