New Governance Course from Amii and CIOSC charts path toward responsible AI in business

The Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) and the CIO Strategy Council (CIOSC) have launched a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance course to empower startups and small and medium businesses to develop strong ethical and governance foundations for AI-enabled products. The interactive workshop, led by machine learning experts from Amii, helps companies derisk the responsible development of AI products through a focus on ethics, governance and fairness. With increasing attention being paid to the social, cultural and economic impacts of AI from all sectors of society, the course offers a tangible path forward for businesses looking to minimize drawbacks while capturing the benefits of AI systems.

Designed for business leaders and technical teams alike, the course enables participants to:

• Have strong foundation for understanding ethical questions in AI;
• Discuss the positive business impacts of a fairness-first approach to AI adoption;
• Identify ethical risks within an organization in terms of AI application; and
• Plan the next steps to continuously identify and mitigate risks in AI adoption.

“As AI is embedded ever more deeply into products and services, it is essential that companies have robust governance frameworks in place,” says Keith Jansa, Executive Director of CIOSC. “This program will give participants a good understanding of emerging standards in this area and equip them with the tools they need to ensure they are building and operating AI systems in a responsible way.”

The course offers participants a greater awareness of ethical considerations in AI, an understanding of the factors to look out for within an organization and concrete approaches companies can take to ensure the responsible development of AI systems. Rounding out the content, the course also includes case studies on the ethics of specific AI applications, a focus on AI governance structures and offers actionable strategies and frameworks that businesses can use to develop and improve their own AI standards and practices. The course also helps companies take the next steps by connecting them with resources and support to build robust AI ethics practices through the AI Ethics and Governance Registry.

“Every year, more businesses turn to AI for their next competitive advantage, and with this growth comes a greater need for training and resources to guide the responsible development of the technology,” says Stephanie Enders, VP of Product at Amii. “As an organization committed to AI for good and for all, Amii is proud to work alongside the CIO Standards Council to lend our expertise to help companies avoid future risk by building an understanding of best practices.”

The course comes at a time when increasing emphasis is being placed on AI standards by government and numerous other sectors of society. With the $443 million renewal of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, the Government of Canada recently-announced plans to advance the development and adoption of standards and a conformity assessment program related to AI. Through this course in AI Governance, companies can take meaningful steps toward ensuring compliance and developing their own internal frameworks to support the responsible development of AI.

About Amii

One of Canada’s three centres of AI excellence as part of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, Amii (the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) is an Alberta-based non-profit institute that supports world-leading research in artificial intelligence and machine learning and translates scientific advancement into industry adoption. Amii grows AI capabilities through advancing leading-edge research, delivering exceptional educational offerings and providing business advice – all with the goal of building in-house AI capabilities. For more information, visit amii.ca

About the CIO Strategy Council

The CIO Strategy Council is Canada’s national forum that brings together the country’s most forward-thinking chief information officers and executive technology leaders to collectively mobilize on common digital priorities. Cutting across major sectors of the Canadian economy – public, private and not for profit – the Council harnesses the collective expertise and action of Canada’s CIOs to propel Canada as a digital-first nation. The CIO Strategy Council is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada and develops standards that support the data-driven economy. Learn more at ciostrategycouncil.com

TO ARRANGE AN INTERVIEW WITH Amii, PLEASE CONTACT:

Lynda Vang
Communications Specialist

lynda.vang@amii.ca

TO ARRANGE AN INTERVIEW WITH THE CIOSC, PLEASE CONTACT:

Sundeep Virdi
Senior Manager, Responsible Digital Technologies

sundeep.virdi@ciostrategycouncil.com