The Ask AI monthly roundup of the latest innovations, investments, and warning signs from Canada's world-class artificial intelligence sector.
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Editor's picks for December 2023
👍 U of T researchers find AI models trained on 5% of data performed about same as those trained on100% of data. Full story
🤔 KPMG Canada study reveals that 22% of Canadians say they use AI to help them do their job. Full story
🤔 Cisco study reveals 9% of Canadian organizations prepared to deploy AI, compared to the global average of 14% and USA average of 18%. Full story
🤔 Walmart Canada launches AI assistant to perform employee-related tasks such as drafting content, summarizing documents, and meeting notes. Full story
👍 Ontario government to introduce legislation that will require employers to disclose if they used AI during hiring process. Full story
👍 Canada one of 18 countries to sign 'Guidelines for Secure AI System Development' to support AI sytems that are secure by design. Full story
👍 Researchers at the University of Waterloo have created a robotic arm with artificial intelligence that is trained to kill cancer. Full story
👍 Whale Seeker, TerraSense, and Transport Canada collaborating on AI to help preserve the endangered North Atlantic right whales in the St-Lawrence River. Full story
🤔 University of Alberta professor and reinforcement learning pioneer Richard Sutton is launching a new AI research institute with funding from Huawei. Full story
Select international stories
👍 EU agrees landmark deal on regulation of artificial intelligence. Full story
🤔 US calls for voluntary restraints on the development and deployment of AI-enabled autonomous weapons. Full story
🤔 Google launches Gemini—a powerful AI model it says can surpass GPT-4. Full story
Breakthroughs, investments, and awards
🏆 Yoshua Bengio awarded Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, worth up to $1M. Full story
💲 Microsoft will invest USD$500 million in expanding its hyperscale cloud computing and AI infrastructure in Quebec over the next two years. Full story
💲 Thomson Reuters has announced plans to invest more than US$100 million a year in generative artificial intelligence. Full story
🏆 Georges Kaddoum at ÉTS has won a Mitacs Award for AI-driven wireless networks innovation. Full story
📦 Unilever Canada recognized for using AI to ensure the right product is in the right place, at the right time, in the right packaging. Full story
Ask AI Exclusive: Why are all businesses destined to become AI businesses?
🏆 For the second year in a row, RBC has ranked in top 3 for AI maturity among 50 global financial institutions in the Evident AI Index. Full story
Governance, ethics, and regulation
👍 New AI technologies push Health Canada to modernize Its medical device pre-market guidance framework. Full story
Ask AI exclusive: How can AI-augmented medical devices be made safer to use?
Public and higher education
👍 Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools trustees emphasize need to get on top of the use of ChatGPT in the education system. Full story
Sustainability, oceans, and agriculture
😍 A PhD candidate in the School of Public Health Sciences at Waterloo is applying AI/ML to predict health outcomes based on exposure to air pollution. Full story
🌊 New research co-authored by a University of Victoria oceanographer claims to have developed an AI/ML model that can predict rogue waves. Full story
🌿 Companies from across Canada's food protein sector have partnered to develop new AI to improve quality of Canada’s protein crops and ingredients. Full story
Ask AI exclusive: How is AI making greenhouse food production more efficient?
Healthcare and life sciences
👍 BioTwin getting $425K CAD from NRC IRAP program to develop virtual twin technology which uses metabolomic profiles to predict early cancer. Full story
Business, startups, and public sector
👍 Public Service union to launch online skills development tool to assist members in adapting to workplace impacted by AI/ML. Full story
📦 The Smart Structures Lab at UBC has developed AI-augmented robots that can lift and move objects, transport materials, and monitor site safety. Full story
🚧 Ontario-based RSG International, RedBit Development, and Queen’s University student club to develop AI models to evolve the road building and construction. Full story
Canadian AI/ML news to share?
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