Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute

Amii Monthly Newsletter: November 2021 | Amii

Published

Nov 25, 2021

Hi there,

AI and machine learning present key opportunities to tackle some of the biggest global challenges facing us all today. With COP26 meetings wrapping up last week, and as supply chain challenges continue to emerge across the world, the need for AI for good and for all has never been more clear.

Here are just two ways businesses and individuals can become part of solving key challenges in areas like supply chain and the environment:

  • Companies have joined our Supply Chain AI West program, which focuses on giving expert advice and guidance to startups as they work to create AI-powered supply chains. Learn about our second cohort and apply to join the program by December 20.

  • Our Machine Learning Technician Certification gives you the knowledge and skills you need to define and execute a machine learning project. Space is limited – Apply by January 18 for the February 1 start date.

There are countless ways AI is already meeting the challenge of global issues – read below to discover how machine learning is optimizing water treatment, helping to protect endangered tigers and revolutionizing the way we think about diagnostic imaging.

See you over video chat soon,


November Highlights: Research, Industry, Community and Training

Industry & Community Updates:

  • Cleaner water using less energy: learn how ISL Adapt, the University of Alberta and Amii are using reinforcement learning to optimize water treatment in Drayton Valley.

  • A big congrats to our friends at IronSight for their recent capital raise! We’ve been so pleased to work with this company through our Supply Chain AI West program.

  • Our Supply Chain AI West program offers hands-on training and coaching as you build AI-powered supply chain products and solutions! Learn more about how the program can help you advance your AI goals and book your discovery call today.

  • Earlier this month, Amii CEO Cam Linke presented at the AI Summit Silicon Valley 2021! His presentation explored the future of how businesses can personalize their operations using reinforcement learning, from customer experiences to internal systems.

  • Our friends at Samdesk have partnered with North America's leading grocery delivery platform Instacart for their new, and first-of-its-kind, Shopper Safety Alert program.

Research Updates:

  • How can AI help protect endangered tigers (and other vulnerable animals) from forest fires? Read about Osmar Zaïane’s (Fellow & Canada CIFAR AI Chair at Amii) collaboration with colleagues from the Indian Institute of Technology Indore, helping a remote tiger reserve in India.

  • A team at the University of Alberta, including Russ Greiner (Fellow & Canada CIFAR AI Chair at Amii), is using machine learning to forecast COVID-19 cases further into the future.

  • Will intelligent tutoring agents replace game tutorials? Can AI models assist level designers and still keep the designer’s creative style? Dive into the research behind AI in video games in this series of short talks by Fellows and Canada CIFAR AI Chairs at Amii.

  • An international team of researchers, including Russ Greiner (Fellow & Canada CIFAR AI Chair at Amii) is using AI to predict new illegal drugs before they hit the streets.

  • How can we create and sustain a culture of ethics in AI research and training environments? Check out CIFAR's event brief on their Ethical AI roundtable for key insights and next steps for this initiative.

  • York University’s Marcus Brubaker talks normalizing flows at the September 17 AI Seminar

  • At the October 1 AI Seminar, Tyler Hanson and Nolan McMahon shared insights into the challenges of the digital advertising industry and how LoKnow is exploring the possibilities offered by AI and machine learning.

  • Hear Daniel Brown of UC Berkeley discuss uncertainty when it comes to systems learning from human intent -- watch his October 15 AI Seminar.

  • Hear how Medo.ai turned academic advancement into commercial success at the October 22 AI Seminar, featuring the company's co-founder, Jacob Jaremko (Fellow & Canada CIFAR AI Chair at Amii)! This special event was part of Edmonton Startup Week.

Training Updates:

  • Are you ready to take the first step in your AI & ML learning journey? Join us at ML Foundations 1 on December 2 for a crash course on the basics, building foundational knowledge using real-world examples.

  • Join us for ML Foundations 2 on December 9! This live online course continues to build on the teachings of ML Foundations 1 by introducing you to tools, strategies and knowledge regarding data and ML.


ML Technician Certificate Course

Develop your Machine Learning Technical Skillset

The demand for AI and machine learning expertise is growing across all industries. Through the marriage of domain expertise, a key understanding of the science of machine learning and foundational technical skills, companies can gain their competitive advantage. Applications close on January 18, 2022 for the February 1, 2022 start date.

Learn More and Apply

Upcoming Events

November 18: Spark After Dark

Hop to TELUS Spark for a fun-filled 18+ science evening! This month's Spark After Dark tackles the topic of robots and features our own Osmar Zaïane (Fellow & Canada CIFAR AI Chair at Amii) on algorithms -- what they are, where they are, and how they're affecting our lives.

Buy your ticket

November 19: AI Seminar – Hamsa Bastani

The AI Seminar is a weekly meeting where researchers discuss a wide range of topics related to AI, from foundational theoretical work to innovative applications of techniques. Hamsa Bastani (University of Pennsylvania Assistant Professor) presents “Efficient and targeted COVID-19 border testing via reinforcement learning”.

RSVP Now

November 25: Startup Calgary's Innovation Week – ML in the Wild

You’ve seen artificial intelligence and machine learning portrayed in the movies, TV shows, and books for generations but what is machine learning really? What can machine learning do, what can it not do, what happens when it fails, and what is it being used for right here in Alberta? Join experts from one of Canada's AI centres of excellence to learn what machine learning looks like in the wild!

RSVP Now

November 26: AI Seminar – Christopher Ceroici

The AI Seminar is a weekly meeting where researchers discuss a wide range of topics related to AI, from foundational theoretical work to innovative applications of techniques. This week features Christopher Ceroici, Senior Machine Learning Engineer at PulseMedica, an Edmonton-based company developing a medical device to treat retinal eye diseases.

RSVP Now

December 10: AI Seminar – Mokah Shmigelsky

The AI Seminar is a weekly meeting where researchers discuss a wide range of topics related to AI, from foundational theoretical work to innovative applications of techniques. This week features Mokah Shmigelsky, CEO at OneCup AI, which uses computer vision to monitor livestock.

RSVP Now

See a full list of Amii and partner events on our Events page.


Job Opportunities

Authors

Cam Linke

Spencer Murray

Britt Ayotte

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