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World Summit AI Americas 

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  • Wednesday 24th
  • 07:30 - 08:30
    REGISTRATION
  • 08:30 - 09:10
    WELCOME AND MEET UP
  • 09:10 - 09:15
    WELCOME InspiredMinds!
  • 09:15 - 09:22
    WELCOME to Canada
  • 09:22 - 09:30
    WELCOME and Chairperson’s Opening Remarks Fiona McEvoy, Technology & AI Ethics Writer/Researcher & Founder, YouTheData.com
    • Fiona McEvoy, Technology & AI Ethics Writer/Researcher & Founder, YouTheData.com

  • 09:30 - 09:55
    HEADLINER: Open Science and AI Foundation Models: Allies in the Pursuit of Knowledge Joelle Pineau, Associate Professor and William Dawson Scholar, School of Computer Science, McGill University; Co-Managing Director, Meta AI Research

    This talk will provide new perspectives on the trajectory of AI in 2024, from research to product. We will explore how open science provides a powerful paradigm to ensure new AI foundation models are developed and deployed in a way that is transparent and responsible, while enabling speed and scale of innovation across the ecosystem.

    • Joelle Pineau, Associate Professor and William Dawson Scholar, School of Computer Science, McGill University; Co-Managing Director, Meta AI Research

  • 09:55 - 10:20
    HEADLINER: Human at the helm: Leading in AI today, preparing for the AI of tomorrow Marc Mathieu, SVP AI Transformation & Vice Chair, Salesforce Global Advisory Board, Salesforce

    In an era where generative AI technology is becoming an integral part of our professional and personal lives, the question of trust is more pertinent than ever. How can we ensure that the AI we interact with is reliable and secure today, but also as the AI continues to evolve?

    Human in the Loop will not be enough for the AI of the future; we will need to create tools and governance to ensure that the AI can be empowered to automate everything that we delegate to it, while at the same time keeping the human in control.

    Join Marc Mathieu, SVP AI Transformation & Vice-Chair AI Advisory Board at Salesforce, for a discussion around how to foster a safe, secure, and trustworthy AI environment where humans and AI can work in harmony.

    • Marc Mathieu, SVP AI Transformation & Vice Chair, Salesforce Global Advisory Board, Salesforce

  • 10:20 - 10:55
    HEADLINER: Human by design: How AI unleashes the next level of human potential Krish Banerjee, Canada Managing Director, Data, Analytics & Applied Intelligence, Accenture

    We are creating a generation of technology that is more human. We must strive to make technology more intuitive, more intelligent, and seamlessly threaded into every aspect of our lives. Accenture predicts that over the coming 12-24 months there will be a significant uptick in companies who embrace generative AI as a catalyst for reinvention. In the coming years, businesses will have an increasingly powerful array of technologies at their disposal that will open new pathways to unleash greater human potential, productivity, and creativity. Early adopters and leading businesses have kick-started a race toward a new era of value and capability. And their strategies are underpinned by one common thread – the technology is becoming more human.

    • Krish Banerjee, Canada Managing Director, Data, Analytics & Applied Intelligence, Accenture

  • 10:45 - 11:25
    MID-MORNING BREAK
  • WORLD SUMMIT AI PLENARY Chair: Fiona McEvoy, Technology & AI Ethics Writer/Researcher & Founder, YouTheData.com
    • 11:25 - 12:00
      PANEL DISCUSSION: Maximizing the AI Opportunity: Balancing competitive-advantage and safety with AI innovation Panellists:
      Alyssa Lefaivre Škopac, Head of Global Partnerships and Growth, Responsible AI Institute
      Onyinye Enyia Daniel, PhD, Vice President, Data & Analytics Strategy, Highmark Health
      Elena Fersman, VP Head of Global AI Accelerator & Head of Silicon Valley Site, Ericsson
      Chantal Guay, CEO, Standards Council of Canada
      Marc Mathieu, SVP AI Transformation & Vice Chair, Salesforce Global Advisory Board, Salesforce

      Dive into a compelling panel discussion featuring industry leaders and experts as they discuss strategies to synchronize AI adoption with effective risk management and safety measures so they can leverage AI innovation with confidence. Through  case studies and actionable insights, explore how forward-thinking companies are seamlessly integrating AI technologies while strategically mitigating risks to stay ahead of the curve. 

      • Panellists:

      • Alyssa Lefaivre Škopac, Head of Global Partnerships and Growth, Responsible AI Institute

      • Onyinye Enyia Daniel, PhD, Vice President, Data & Analytics Strategy, Highmark Health

      • Elena Fersman, VP Head of Global AI Accelerator & Head of Silicon Valley Site, Ericsson

      • Chantal Guay, CEO, Standards Council of Canada

      • Marc Mathieu, SVP AI Transformation & Vice Chair, Salesforce Global Advisory Board, Salesforce

    • 12:05 - 12:25
      HEADLINER Doina Precup, Canada CIFAR AI Chair; Associate Professor of Computer Science, McGill University; Research Team Lead, DeepMind

      12:05-12:25

      • Doina Precup, Canada CIFAR AI Chair; Associate Professor of Computer Science, McGill University; Research Team Lead, DeepMind

    • 12:25 - 12:45
      HEADLINER: AI: Unexplainable, Unpredictable, Uncontrollable Dr. Roman V. Yampolskiy, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Louisville

      Many scientists, futurologists and philosophers have predicted that AI will enable humanity to achieve radical technological breakthroughs in the years ahead. In his talk, Dr. Yampolskiy will cover current progress in artificial intelligence and predicted future developments, including artificial general intelligence and superintelligence. The talk will address some obstacles to progress in development of safe AI as well as ethical issues associated with advanced intelligent machines. The problem of control will be covered in the context of safety and security of AI.

      • Dr. Roman V. Yampolskiy, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Louisville

  • TRACK 1: AI IN ACTION: ENTERPRISE STORIES
    • 11:25 - 11:45
      USE CASE

      11:25-11:45

    • 11:45 - 12:05
      USE CASE: Training the next generation of pilots with AI Adaptive Learning Applications Annik Carson, PhD. Adaptive Learning Product Lead, AI Redefined
      Mike Jones, Director of Engineering Services, Systems Technology, Inc.(STI)

      Electric vertical take off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are an emerging technology in the aviation industry aimed at offering a quiet, low-emissions mode of short-range air transport. The development of this technology is happening at a time of unprecedented workforce shortages across the aviation industry, a phenomenon which is due in part to challenges of cost, time, and access to training resources in order for learners to become fully proficient. Systems Technology, Inc. (STI) and AI Redefined (AIR) have partnered to deliver a data-driven approach to eVTOL training to reduce training time and cost, increase efficiency, and meet regulatory safety standards. Integrating with simulation-based training, AI Redefined’s Cogment Adaptive Learning platform uses AI to identify mistakes, provide feedback, and create novel training content targeted to each individual learner’s needs. The design of this application allows students to train on-demand and at their own pace, shifting training from an hours-based to a competency-based model, and providing a path toward better student outcomes in training programs to meet workforce needs

      • Annik Carson, PhD. Adaptive Learning Product Lead, AI Redefined

      • Mike Jones, Director of Engineering Services, Systems Technology, Inc.(STI)

    • 12:05 - 12:25
      USE CASE: Digitizing the supply chain: the path to AI empowerment Annie Cyr, CEO & Co-Founder, Tengiva

      Valuable AI requires quality data in sufficient quantity. In this talk, Annie Cyr will emphasize the importance of deploying a solid ecosystem to collect the right data for artificial intelligence (AI) development. She will discuss Tengiva’s efforts in mapping out a network of information to improve the accuracy, quality, and efficiency of future supply chain AI models.

      Annie will share insights on how AI might be used to optimize resource usage, increase transparency across the entire textile supply chain, and promote better sustainability practices that lower the environmental impact in this trillion-dollar industry that, traditionally, has had high climate impact.

       

      • Annie Cyr, CEO & Co-Founder, Tengiva

    • 12:25 - 12:45
      USE CASE: Generative AI - LLMs Applications in Mining Industry Pauline Camus, Principal Data Scientist, Rio Tinto
      Tony Deng, Tech Lead, Senior Data Scientist, Rio Expert, Rio Tinto

      The presentation will focus on the significant impact of Generative AI (Gen AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) on the mining industry, showcasing their potential to transform traditional operations. By leveraging LLMs for automating key tasks such as operational documentation and safety protocols, the industry can achieve greater efficiency and reduce the reliance on manual labor throughout the value chain. LLM’s advanced capabilities in processing and analyzing vast document archives are instrumental in enhancing decision-making processes and operational effectiveness. The session will also present concrete examples of Gen AI and LLM applications in mining, illustrating a move towards more precise, efficient, safer, and environmentally friendly practices. This shift towards integrating Gen AI and LLMs marks a pivotal moment in the industry, heralding a future where technological innovation drives progress.

      • Pauline Camus, Principal Data Scientist, Rio Tinto

      • Tony Deng, Tech Lead, Senior Data Scientist, Rio Expert, Rio Tinto

  • TRACK 2: INNOVATION INSIGHTS
    • 11:25 - 11:45
      INNOVATION INSIGHT

      11:25

    • 11:45 - 12:05
      INNOVATION INSIGHT: Transforming communication through AI Joël Gallant, CEO & Co-Founder, CLIC Labs
      William Caron, COO & Founder, CLIC Labs

      We live in a global community, but there is still one challenge; how to effectively talk to the neighbors from a different country. Imagine if we could speak, everyone in their own language, and listen to each other in ours.  

      Many translation solutions today are not synchronous and break the flow of a conversation.  CLIC Labs can offer fast, smooth, and seamless translation, preserving the naturalness and richness of real conversations and eliminating language barriers without altering the meaning of communication. With its ease of use and much lower cost compared to existing market solutions, this offers radical change in the field of simultaneous translation

      • Joël Gallant, CEO & Co-Founder, CLIC Labs

      • William Caron, COO & Founder, CLIC Labs

    • 12:05 - 12:25
      INNOVATION INSIGHT

      12:05

    • 12:25 - 12:45
      INNOVATION INSIGHT

      12:25-12:45

  • TRACK 3: WORKSHOPS
    • 11:25 - 12:25
      WORKSHOP: AI adoption – making the right decisions for your organization Workshop Hosts:
      Miriam Price, Principal Data Strategist, AtkinsRéalis
      Abigail Beaumont, Head of Data Strategy & Data Management, AtkinsRéalis

      AI has the potential to be an enabler for so much good, including how companies live up to their values and their ESG targets. But these values must also shape a company’s approach to AI adoption and development. Participants at this workshop will be given a hands-on experience of evaluating AI use cases against their own company values, using a Data and AI Ethics Framework. AtkinsRéalis will share some examples of what it is doing in this space,  before facilitating a workshop which will see: 

      • Participants explore company values, and how AI can help to supporting those, and industry- agnostic AI use cases
      • Participants guided through a self-assessment of their ethical profile using the AtkinsRéalis Data & AI Ethic Framework
      • The results of the ethical profiling exercise compared with the risks identified in the AI use cases and the impact they have on their purpose and values to create a decision matrix for AI investment
      • Participants reflect as a group on how they can represent ethical priorities in organizational investment decisions

      AtkinsRéalis

      • Workshop Hosts:

      • Miriam Price, Principal Data Strategist, AtkinsRéalis

      • Abigail Beaumont, Head of Data Strategy & Data Management, AtkinsRéalis

  • 12:45 - 13:45
    LUNCH
  • WORLD SUMMIT AI PLENARY Chair: Fiona McEvoy, Technology & AI Ethics Writer/Researcher & Founder, YouTheData.com
    • 13:45 - 14:05
      HEADLINER: How to use AI for sustainable impact Sreedhar Sistu, Vice President, AI Offers, Schneider Electric

      Join Sreedhar Sistu, VP AI External Offers, Schneider Electric, discussing how to put data and AI to work at scale, in order to solve the biggest challenges of our generation: climate change and decarbonization. Discover how AI can be used to reduce energy consumption and resulting GHG emissions in buildings, data centers, infrastructure, and industries. Learn how, thanks to AI, sustainable development and business profitability can go hand in hand. Finally, hear how AI is helping remove the barriers to deploy energy efficiency solutions at scale, today. After all, sustainability cannot wait.

      • Sreedhar Sistu, Vice President, AI Offers, Schneider Electric

    • 14:05 - 14:25
      HEADLINE TECH TALK: Towards AGI: Predicting scaling behaviors and training Large Foundation Models on Supercomputers Irina Rish, Core Member of Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute; Canada CIFAR AI Chair, Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Autonomous AI; Professor, Université de Montréal

      As AI progresses rapidly with the emergence of foundation models, understanding their scaling behaviors becomes crucial. Empirical neural scaling laws serve as predictive tools to guide the selection of scaling methods that are more likely to stand the test of time, escaping “the bitter lesson”. Predicting AI behaviors, especially emergent phenomena and rapid transitions at scale are essential for ensuring AI Safety and Alignment. In this talk, Irina will discuss her efforts in accurately forecasting AI behaviors using both open-box and closed-box approaches. Furthermore, she’ll showcase large-scale open-source foundation models developed in her lab thanks to supercomputing resources at OLCF, including 7B RedPajama-INCITE (RPI) and CL-FoMo suite of 9.6B large language models (LLMs), the first Hindi model Hi-NOLIN, multimodal vision-language suite Robin, and Lag-LLama – one of the first time-series foundation models. Their continual pre-training paradigm enables training on infinite datasets, while ethical considerations and multimodal alignment remain central in their approach. See the CERC-AAI project page for more details: https://www.irina-lab.ai/projects.

      • Irina Rish, Core Member of Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute; Canada CIFAR AI Chair, Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Autonomous AI; Professor, Université de Montréal

    • 14:25 - 14:45
      HEADLINER: Deploying outcomes-focused AI solutions to transform the healthcare journey and innovate for the future
    • 14:45 - 15:05
      HEADLINER: Crisis or Cure: The divisive debate on AI’s role in modern healing Rohan Goswami, Director - Heart Transplant Research and Innovation. Mayo Clinic

      As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to infiltrate the realm of healthcare, the debate surrounding its impact on modern healing intensifies. This presentation delves into the heart of the controversy, exploring the dual narrative of AI as a potential crisis or a transformative cure. Delving into ethical considerations, societal implications, and the evolving landscape of patient care, we scrutinize the divisive perspectives that surround AI’s integration into medicine. Join Rohan for a thought-provoking exploration of whether AI is a disruptive force threatening the sanctity of healthcare or an indispensable ally ushering in a new era of healing possibilities.

      • Rohan Goswami, Director - Heart Transplant Research and Innovation. Mayo Clinic

    • 15:05 - 15:25
      HEADLINER: Using Large Language Models to build the largest AI cluster in the world
  • TRACK 1: DEEP DIVE TECH TALKS
    • 13:45 - 14:05
      TECH TALK: Hyper Personalization and Omnichannel Shopping Yog Domlur Seetharama, Director of Data Science, Walmart Global Tech
      • Yog Domlur Seetharama, Director of Data Science, Walmart Global Tech

    • 14:05 - 14:25
      TECH TALK: Sparsify Open-Source LLMs for Accelerated Inference Mark Kurtz, CTO, Neural Magic

      Organizations are starting to feel the friction as they deploy LLMs to production. The intense compute requirements are demanding on inference serving infrastructure, and as a result, are expensive to operate and support. So, how do you deploy your LLMs without breaking the bank? Sparsify to remove redundancy, reduce memory footprint, and increase performance while keeping your LLMs intact. You can also start with a sparsified foundational model to get to production quicker.Join Mark Kurtz as he shares industry-leading model optimization and inference acceleration techniques you can apply to your LLM applications today with open-source and free-to-use software

      • Mark Kurtz, CTO, Neural Magic

    • 14:25 - 14:45
      TECH TALK: LLMOps - Deploying, managing and fine-tuning domain-specific LLMs for generative AI apps Puru Amradkar, Chief Product Officer, Aisera

      Join Puru Amradkar, CPO at Aisera, as he explores LLMOps, encompassing aspects from building to deployment and management of LLMs, addressing concerns such as model refinement and domain adaptation. Diving deeper, he will address ways of tailoring LLMs for specific use cases leveraging RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) and fine-tuning techniques within a TRAPS framework (Trust, Responsible AI, Privacy, and Security). This aims to enhance accuracy, minimize hallucinations, ensure accountability, and safeguard privacy with robust security measures. By addressing these factors, organizations can harness the full potential of LLMs in applications, ranging from action bots and AI Copilots to AI Search, with proven ROI.

      • Puru Amradkar, Chief Product Officer, Aisera

    • 14:45 - 15:05
      TECH TALK: Search Relevance: The Key to Effective Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) Mathieu Fortier, Director of ML/NLP, Coveo

      In the rapidly evolving field of Generative AI, Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) systems have emerged as a powerful tool for generating high-quality, contextually relevant responses. However, enterprises testing these capabilities have uncovered the need for effective search to ground answers in accuracy. ​

      Join this session to understand how enhancing search relevance can improve the performance of RAG. Uncover:

      -Key underlying capabilities that are prerequisites for effective GenAI

      -The importance of a complete system including connectivity, relevance, AI and analytics

      -Lessons learned from GenAI production deployments at scale

      • Mathieu Fortier, Director of ML/NLP, Coveo

    • 15:05 - 15:25
      TECH TALK: Navigating the Data Maze: Seeking Data Alternatives in the Post-API Landscape
  • TRACK 2: INNOVATION INSIGHTS
    • 13:45 - 14:05
      INNOVATION INSIGHT

      13:45-14:05

    • 14:05 - 14:25
      INNOVATION INSIGHT: Real-time RAG in LLM applications Ankit Virmani, Data and ML leader, Google

      This talk will go over a real-life example/demo of how to keep the vector DB up to date using streaming pipelines, and the importance of RAGs and how they can be used to eliminate hallucinations, which can have a huge catastrophic impact on the outputs of LLMs. If you are a data and machine learning engineer who wants to work through a deep dive session on how to fine tune LLMs using open source libraries, then this is for you!

      • Ankit Virmani, Data and ML leader, Google

    • 14:25 - 14:45
      INNOVATION INSIGHT

      14:25-14:45

    • 14:45 - 15:25
      PANEL DISCUSSION: Ask the Investors: How to take your start-up to the next stage: What are investors looking for? Parasvil Patel, AI VC, Radical Ventures
      • What are the latest investment trends in AI?
      • What are the best ways to raise your investments under the current climate?
      • What do VC’s and investors look at when making investment decisions?
      • Parasvil Patel, AI VC, Radical Ventures

  • TRACK 3: WORKSHOPS
    • 13:45 - 14:45
      WORKSHOP: Can it Be Done? 1 Hour to Ship a Robust and Explainable Real World AI Product Patrick St-Amant, Co-Founder & CTO, Zetane Systems
      Jon Magoon, Chief Product Officer, Zetane Systems

      Calling all AI Developers!

      Join this session to build a real world multi-modal product in only one hour alongside our CTO Patrick St-Amant, CPO Jonathan Magoon and our Industrial AI team. Build confidence with visual modeling and harness the power of cutting-edge AI models using ZetaForge. In this session you will walk alongside our team throughout the process helping demystify pipelines and experience a more efficient way of developing robust AI-powered tools. Together we will swiftly develop, test and deploy a product in under 60 min.

      • Patrick St-Amant, Co-Founder & CTO, Zetane Systems

      • Jon Magoon, Chief Product Officer, Zetane Systems

    • 14:55 - 15:25
      WORKSHOP - 30 MINS

      14:55 – 15:25

  • 15:25 - 15:55
    REFRESHMENTS, NETWORKING AND MEET UP
  • WORLD SUMMIT AI PLENARY
    • 15:55 - 16:20
      HEADLINER: Utilising enterprise generative AI assistants to transform knowledge work
    • 16:20 - 16:40
      HEADLINER: Anticipating (better) AI futures Joanna Lepore, Global Foresight & Capabilities Exploration Director, McDonald’s Corp
      • Joanna Lepore, Global Foresight & Capabilities Exploration Director, McDonald’s Corp

    • 16:40 - 17:15
      PANEL DISCUSSION: Discussing best practice to promote responsible and trustworthy Gen AI and LLMs Panellists:
      Dr Yannick Lallement, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, Scotiabank
      Dr Colleen Lyons, Ethics and Integrity Liaison & Management Specialist & AI Steering Committee Appointee, FDA Center for Drug Evaluation & Research
      Aaron Franks, Research Lead, Data Sovereignty Research Collaborative, First Nations Information Governance Centre
      Moderator:
      Philip Dawson, Head of AI Policy , Armilla AI

      Does openness and collaboration accelerate innovation?

      What risks do these models pose?

      Does the immense scale of these technologies imply greater obligations for responsible development?

      Should governments regulate these models and if so how?

      Open source vs closed models?

      Effective Codes of Conduct

      • Panellists:

      • Dr Yannick Lallement, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, Scotiabank

      • Dr Colleen Lyons, Ethics and Integrity Liaison & Management Specialist & AI Steering Committee Appointee, FDA Center for Drug Evaluation & Research

      • Aaron Franks, Research Lead, Data Sovereignty Research Collaborative, First Nations Information Governance Centre

      • Moderator:

      • Philip Dawson, Head of AI Policy , Armilla AI

    • 17:15 - 17:40
      HEADLINER: AI for an Age of Planetary Transition(s) Andrew Zolli, Chief Impact Officer, Planet

      From climate change and the loss of nature to pandemic prevention and global food insecurity, we live in an age of interlinked planetary crisis. These perils require new kinds of insights, actions and governance to address them — and AI will play a foundational role in their development. In this walking tour of the emerging field of “Planetary AI,” Andrew Zolli, Planet’s Chief Impact Officer, will showcase foundational concepts and real-world-examples of how the combination of AI and streams of planetary data are helping humanity live more gently, resiliently, and intelligently upon the Earth

      • Andrew Zolli, Chief Impact Officer, Planet

  • TRACK 3: WORKSHOPS
    • 15:55 - 16:55
      WORKSHOP: SCC

      SCC

  • 17:40 -
    CLOSE OF SUMMIT DAY ONE
  • Thursday 25th
  • 08:00 - 08:30
    REGISTRATION
  • 08:30 - 09:30
    WELCOME
  • 09:30 - 09:35
    WELCOME InspiredMinds!
  • 09:35 - 09:40
    WELCOME and chairperson’s opening remarks Fiona McEvoy, Technology & AI Ethics Writer/Researcher & Founder, YouTheData.com
    • Fiona McEvoy, Technology & AI Ethics Writer/Researcher & Founder, YouTheData.com

  • 09:40 - 10:00
    HEADLINER: Why a different approach is needed to monetize the value of generative AI capabilities Darren Martin, Chief Digital Officer, AtkinsRéalis

    As service providers continue to invest in AI to develop new service lines and transform existing capabilities, a step change is needed across these organizations to monetize the value delivered instantly to clients, particularly in the advisory sector. Traditional contracts, time-based pricing, and the race-to-the-bottom approach won’t work when selling automated services — the focus must be on value and outcomes. Clients simply won’t pay by the hour for AI-driven automation that can be done in seconds.

    So why are so many organizations racing to create AI capability when there’s as much risk in “low and slow” adoption as there is in moving too fast and getting it wrong? 

    Drawing on extensive experience in technology leadership roles and a strong track record of driving digital transformation in the infrastructure sector, Darren will explain why a different approach is needed to monetize the value of generative AI capabilities. Drawing on concrete examples from Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) Consultancies, from sales and marketing to commercials and billing, Darren will reflect on lessons learned, success, failure and enduring misconceptions about AI’s place in this sector.

    • Darren Martin, Chief Digital Officer, AtkinsRéalis

  • 10:00 - 10:25
    HEADLINER: Generative AI Integration and Financial Services: a Balancing Act Foteini Agrafioti, Head, Borealis AI & Chief Science Office, Royal Bank of Canada

    Generative AI is a transformative technology that has a profound impact on various industries and our society as a whole. Although there is a lot of excitement and potential surrounding the use of GenAI, it is necessary to conduct technical and social research to understand and manage any associated risks. In particular, how can Generative AI be used in customer service for financial institutions? Foteini Agrafioti, Chief Science Officer of RBC and Head of Borealis AI, delves into the potential of this technology and shares approaches for responsible use and mitigating potential risks.

    • Foteini Agrafioti, Head, Borealis AI & Chief Science Office, Royal Bank of Canada

  • 10:25 - 10:50
    PANEL DISCUSSION: What drives successful AI adoption? David Barnes, PhD, Brigadier General, US Army (Retired); Chief AI Ethics Officer, US Army Artificial Intelligence Integration Center (AI2C)
    Riccardo Cosentino, Senior Vice-President, AtkinsRéalis
    Ajinkya Malasane, Senior Director, AI Product Strategy, TELUS International
    • What problem do you need to solve?
    • Is AI/tech the best solution and, if so, when should you use it, and for what purpose?
    • What’s hype and what’s not?
    • Engaging your BS meter to avoid AI snake oil
    • David Barnes, PhD, Brigadier General, US Army (Retired); Chief AI Ethics Officer, US Army Artificial Intelligence Integration Center (AI2C)

    • Riccardo Cosentino, Senior Vice-President, AtkinsRéalis

    • Ajinkya Malasane, Senior Director, AI Product Strategy, TELUS International

  • 10:50 - 11:15
    Carrefour: how AI and Gen AI are boosting the retail giant’s operational efficiency and customer experience Sebastien Rozanes, Global Chief Data & Analytics Officer, Carrefour

    At the end of 2021, Carrefour made a major strategic shift by embarking on its transformation into a Digital Retail Company. This means that digital is no longer just an e-commerce sales channel, but a genuine agent for transforming all the company’s functions from negotiation to the in-store experience. Equipped with the largest data lake in European retail, Carrefour has developed a strategy that places data and artificial intelligence at the heart of its business model, with the aim of making employees more efficient and improving the customer experience. Come and discover very concrete use cases in which data, A.I. and, more recently, generative A.I. are revolutionizing this retail giant, with Sébastien Rozanes, Global Chief Data & Analytics Officer of Carrefour

    • Sebastien Rozanes, Global Chief Data & Analytics Officer, Carrefour

  • 11:15 - 11:40
    REFRESHMENTS, NETWORKING AND MEET UP
  • WORLD SUMMIT AI AMERICAS PLENARY Chair: Fiona McEvoy, Technology & AI Ethics Writer/Researcher & Founder, YouTheData.com
    • 11:40 - 12:00
      HEADLINER: Revolutionizing Innovation at the Speed of Thought Larry Heck, Professor of ECE and Interactive Computing, Executive Director, AI Hub and Machine Learning Center, Georgia Tech

      Amidst the ongoing discourse surrounding the potential threats posed by AI and the apprehensions about AI superseding human roles, an alternative perspective emerges for the future of AI. Rather than displacing humans, this vision sees AI as a collaborator that augments and elevates humanity. In this narrative, AI works in tandem with humans, extending our capabilities far beyond current limits and bestowing upon us unprecedented superpowers of creativity and productivity. Instead of viewing AI as a mere automaton, it transforms into our ‘ironman’ suit, a powerful ally in our pursuits. The ultimate goal is to harness AI’s potential to facilitate innovation at the speed of thought. Imagine having an idea and seamlessly collaborating with your AI Virtual Assistant (AVA) to bring that idea to fruition. While recent strides in generative AI represent a significant leap in this direction, there is still a considerable journey ahead.

       

      In this talk, Larry will explore the advancements made toward this visionary future with a primary focus on overcoming the communication barriers between humans and machines. To highlight the potential, he will talk about a specific application of this vision: scientific research at the speed of thought.  The presentation will conclude by outlining the remaining research challenges that must be tackled to fully embrace this collaborative and transformative relationship between humans and AI.

      • Larry Heck, Professor of ECE and Interactive Computing, Executive Director, AI Hub and Machine Learning Center, Georgia Tech

    • 12:00 - 12:20
      HEADLINER

      12:00

    • 12:20 - 13:00
      PANEL DISCUSSION: How do LLMs and AI impact the cybersecurity landscape Kevork Belgen, Director - Security Architecture and Research, Scotiabank
      Sunil Dadlani, EVP, Chief Information & Digital Officer & Chief Cyber Security Officer, Atlantic Health System
      Martin-Guy Richard, CISO - Chief Information Security Officer, Ville de Montréal
      • How to improve cyber resilience across your workforce
      • Understanding the risks and how to most responsibly handle them as rapid adoption of AI-driven productivity tools leads to a higher threat risk
      • Leveraging these tools to benefit from earlier detection and a shorter breach lifecycle
      • Incorporate guidelines for the responsible use of AI tools in the workplace
      • Kevork Belgen, Director - Security Architecture and Research, Scotiabank

      • Sunil Dadlani, EVP, Chief Information & Digital Officer & Chief Cyber Security Officer, Atlantic Health System

      • Martin-Guy Richard, CISO - Chief Information Security Officer, Ville de Montréal

  • TRACK 1: RESPONSIBLE AI AND GOVERNANCE
    • 11:40 - 12:00
      HEADLINER: Let's get real about AI Governance Onyinye Enyia Daniel, PhD, Vice President, Data & Analytics Strategy, Highmark Health

      Responsible AI has been a crucial component of discussions around AI. How do we optimize the value of AI innovation while minimizing harm to individuals, society, and the environment? AI Governance is the key to implementing responsible AI. However, many organizations struggle to find the practical path to implementing AI Governance in a real and meaningful way in their organization. Using Highmark Health, a large, complex, Fortune 500 equivalent blended health organization, this presentation will chart Highmark Health’s path to successful end-to-end AI governance implementation across people, processes and technology.

      • Onyinye Enyia Daniel, PhD, Vice President, Data & Analytics Strategy, Highmark Health

    • 12:00 - 12:20
      HEADLINER: Responsible AI Governance: Accelerated Technological Transformation, “Bet-the-Company” Litigation and Crystallized AI Legislation Combine to Raise the Stakes Charles Morgan, Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP

      Although the core principles of responsible AI governance are well-known, a “perfect storm” of recent developments has demonstrated not only how complex it can be to implement such principles, but also the extraordinary risks of “getting it wrong”. Charles Morgan, former President of the International Technology Law Association and general editor of Responsible AI: A Global Policy Framework, will explore the factors that have combined to make this a seminal moment  for urgent action as regards the responsible development and deployment of artificial intelligence and will provide practical guidance on the implications of emerging AI legislative regimes (such as the EU AI Act and Canada’s AI and Data Act) for the implementation of AI governance initiatives that balance the promotion of innovation and the mitigation of risk.

      • Charles Morgan, Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP

    • 12:20 - 12:40
      HEADLINER

      12:20 – 12:40

    • 12:40 - 13:00
      HEADLINER: We are the LIMFAC: AI has a people problem David Barnes, PhD, Brigadier General, US Army (Retired); Chief AI Ethics Officer, US Army Artificial Intelligence Integration Center (AI2C)

      Our choices, actions, & engagements are both the limitations & the facilitators. Responsible building & usage of AI are inherently human endeavors. Embracing AI in enterprises requires a balanced & comprehensive strategy, integrating technology with human oversight, ethical considerations, & robust processes. By adopting a whole-of-enterprise approach & focusing on the synergy of people, processes, & technology, businesses can harness AI’s transformative power while minimizing associated risks.

      • David Barnes, PhD, Brigadier General, US Army (Retired); Chief AI Ethics Officer, US Army Artificial Intelligence Integration Center (AI2C)

  • TRACK 2: INNOVATION INSIGHTS
    • 11:40 - 12:00
      INNOVATION INSIGHT: Building mindfully: Managing scale and responsibility in AI tool development Mario Rodriguez, Vice President, Product, GitHub

      As AI and LLMs continue to gain prominence in automating various aspects of programming, it becomes imperative for us, as responsible innovators, to not only be able to scale our generative AI tools, but also make sure that they are created and used with a significant focus on doing what’s right. This session aims to explore the critical intersection of AI, scale, and ethics, offering valuable insights into the methods and strategies that we, at GitHub, are actively implementing to ensure the responsible and scalable development of GitHub Copilot.

      • Mario Rodriguez, Vice President, Product, GitHub

    • 12:00 - 12:20
      INNOVATION INSIGHT: The future of peace: Using AI to predict war Max Murphy, Data Scientist, Overwatch Data

      In recent years, war has cascaded around the world. But could AI transform peace building in the 21st century? This talk will explore the latest developments in AI which might help us to predict violent conflict in advance by identifying subtle trends and connections in decades’ worth of data – from climate factors to patterns of violence.

      • Max Murphy, Data Scientist, Overwatch Data

    • 12:20 - 12:40
      INNOVATION INSIGHT: Harnessing AI to optimize hospital capacity and elevate patient outcomes Ahmed Abdellatief, Head of Data Analytics, Sidra Medicine

      The session aims to provide participants with a nuanced understanding of how AI can be seamlessly integrated into healthcare systems to address and overcome challenges related to limited hospital capacity. By leveraging advanced analytics, predictive modeling, and machine learning algorithms, participants will gain insights into the predictive and prescriptive capabilities of AI, enabling proactive decision-making and resource allocation.Key topics covered include the identification of bottlenecks in healthcare workflows, real-time patient flow optimization, and the utilization of AI-driven predictive analytics to forecast patient admissions and resource needs.

      • Ahmed Abdellatief, Head of Data Analytics, Sidra Medicine

    • 12:40 - 13:00
      INNOVATION INSIGHT

      12:40-13:00

  • TRACK 3: WORKSHOPS
    • 11:40 - 12:40
      WORKSHOP - 60 MINS

      11:40- 12:40

  • 13:00 - 14:00
    LUNCH, NETWORKING AND MEET UP
  • WORLD SUMMIT AI AMERICAS PLENARY Chair: Fiona McEvoy, Technology & AI Ethics Writer/Researcher & Founder, YouTheData.com
    • 14:00 - 14:20
      HEADLINER: Responsible Generative AI and societal impact Merve Hickok, President & Research Director, Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP)

      Generative AI models are evolving as we speak, with significant impact on society. We are building the road and the road signs as we drive. Responsible Generative AI means ensuring justified trust for AI technologies. But what does that look like?

      • Merve Hickok, President & Research Director, Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP)

    • 14:20 - 14:40
      HEADLINER: Unleashing the Power of Data & AI to Drive Business Value and Innovation Fatih Nayebi, Vice President, Data and AI, ALDO Group

       

       

      • Fatih Nayebi, Vice President, Data and AI, ALDO Group

    • 14:40 - 15:00
      HEADLINER: Data and AI: With great power comes great responsibility Lambert Hogenhout, Chief Data, Analytics and Emerging Technologies, United Nations

      Being an AI expert or a data scientist these days is like having superpowers: you have a disproportionately large impact on the world. It also means we have a responsibility in terms of how we wield that power. Do we need a Hippocratic Oath for data science? How do we as individuals and businesses behave responsibly?

      • Lambert Hogenhout, Chief Data, Analytics and Emerging Technologies, United Nations

    • 15:00 - 15:20
      HEADLINER - legal: Creating the business model for licensing personal IP in light of recent Generative AI developments
    • 15:20 - 15:40
      HEADLINER: Building reliable interpretable, and steerable AI systems
  • TRACK 1: DEEP DIVE TECH TALKS – In Partnership with Mila
    • 14:00 - 14:20
      TECH TALK: Reinforcement Learning for Real-World Problems Glen Berseth, Assistant Professor, Université de Montréal; Core Academic Member, Mila - Quebec AI Institute; Canada CIFAR AI Chair; Co-Director, Robotics and Embodied AI Lab (REAL)
      • Glen Berseth, Assistant Professor, Université de Montréal; Core Academic Member, Mila - Quebec AI Institute; Canada CIFAR AI Chair; Co-Director, Robotics and Embodied AI Lab (REAL)

    • 14:20 - 14:40
      TECH TALK: Generative models as queryable world models Adriana Romero Soriano, Adjunct Professor, McGill University; Canada CIFAR AI Chair; Research Scientist, Meta

      Over the last decade, the de facto standard for training high performing representation learning models has heavily relied on large scale static datasets crawled from the Internet. However, recent advances in visual content creation are challenging this status quo by pushing researchers to leverage high performing image generative models as world models that work in tandem with representation learning models by providing them with data. In this talk, Adriana will address two research questions: (1) Are state-of-the-art image generative models optimized to work as world models?; and (2) What is the most effective way to guide the generative model to produce samples that are useful for the downstream task?

      • Adriana Romero Soriano, Adjunct Professor, McGill University; Canada CIFAR AI Chair; Research Scientist, Meta

    • 14:40 - 15:00
      TECH TALK: A brain-inspired measure for assessing the quality of pretrained representations Blake Richards, Core Faculty Member, Mila; Associate Professor, School of Computer Science and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University

      Self-Supervised Learning (SSL) with large unlabelled datasets enables pretraining of useful representations for multiple downstream tasks. However, assessing the quality of such representations efficiently poses nontrivial challenges. Existing approaches use probes to evaluate performance on a given task. This is expensive both computationally, since it requires retraining for each downstream task, and statistically, since it requires task-specific labels for multiple tasks. This poses a natural question, how do we efficiently determine the “goodness” of representations pretrained with SSL across a wide range of potential downstream tasks? In particular, a task-agnostic statistical measure of representation quality, that predicts generalization without explicit downstream task evaluation, would be highly desirable. In this work, we take inspiration from recent neuroscience findings to develop a metric for representation “goodness”. Specifically, we observe that the decay coefficient for the eigenspectrum of the empirical feature covariance (α) serves as a measure of representation quality, with networks whose α value is closer to that of the brain showing better downstream generalization.

      • Blake Richards, Core Faculty Member, Mila; Associate Professor, School of Computer Science and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University

    • 15:00 - 15:20
      TECH TALK: In-context learning: how large models learn to learn on the fly Guillaume Lajoie, Core Academic Member, Mila; Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics (DMS), Université de Montréal

      In-context learning (ICL) refers to the ability of Transformers, the model architecture used in LLMs, to perform novel tasks based on a few examples or instructions. Like humans, with enough experience and information, large language models can process novel commands on the fly without updating their parameters. ICL is the key mechanism that supports an array of new ways we interact with AI, such as prompt engineering and chain-of-thought approaches. Yet, this property is not designed but instead emerges from a training procedure that largely focuses on next-word prediction. In this talk, Guillaume will explore the fascinating mechanism of ICL, outline how we try to improve it, and present key ways in which it may resemble (and differ) from the way we learn.

      • Guillaume Lajoie, Core Academic Member, Mila; Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics (DMS), Université de Montréal

    • 15:20 - 15:40
      TECH TALK

      15:20-15:40

  • TRACK 2: INNOVATION INSIGHTS
    • 14:00 - 14:10
      INNOVATION INSIGHT

      14:00-14:10

    • 14:10 - 14:20
      INNOVATION INSIGHT

      14:10-14:20

    • 14:20 - 14:30
      INNOVATION INSIGHT

      14:20-14:30

    • 14:30 - 15:45
      STARTUPS SHOWCASE Judges:
      Sheila Beladinejad, CEO, O Canada Tech; President, Women in AI & Robotics

      Five AI startups short-listed for our showcase get 10 minutes to pitch their business idea to four judges. 

      After each pitch, judges get 5 minutes to ask questions about the venture.

       

      Dan Adamsom, Co-Founder, AutoAlign AI

      Philip Alm, CEO, VISS.AI

      Alison Cossette, Founder, Patrun

      Rodrigo Scotti, Founder & CEO, Nama

      • Judges:

      • Sheila Beladinejad, CEO, O Canada Tech; President, Women in AI & Robotics

  • TRACK 3: WORKSHOPS
    • 14:00 - 15:00
      WORKSHOP - 60 MINS

      14:00-15:00

    • 15:10 - 15:40
      WORKSHOP - 30 MINS

      15:10

  • 15:40 - 16:00
    REFRESHMENTS, NETWORKING AND MEET UP
  • 16:00 - 16:20
    HEADLINER: Shaping the future of retail through innovation and tech
  • 16:20 - 16:50
    PANEL DISCUSSION: How should we prepare for the era of an augmented workforce? Panellists:
    Mar Carpanelli, Head of AI & Skills Research, LinkedIn
    Dr Kevin J.Jones, IU Columbus Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning; Director, Center for Teaching and Learning; Associate Professor of Management, Division of Business, Indiana University - Columbus
    Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President, AI at Work, Microsoft
    Natalie Mayerhofer, Associate to the Chief Learning Officer (CHUM), Co-Founder, CHUM School of AI in Healthcare

    Will AI support humans to do the work they already perform, but simply with greater speed and efficiency?

    Will authentic human creativity be drowned by a wave of algorithmically-generated content?

    • Panellists:

    • Mar Carpanelli, Head of AI & Skills Research, LinkedIn

    • Dr Kevin J.Jones, IU Columbus Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning; Director, Center for Teaching and Learning; Associate Professor of Management, Division of Business, Indiana University - Columbus

    • Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President, AI at Work, Microsoft

    • Natalie Mayerhofer, Associate to the Chief Learning Officer (CHUM), Co-Founder, CHUM School of AI in Healthcare

  • 16:50 - 17:15
    HEADLINER: AI safety and democratic governance of powerful AI systems Yoshua Bengio, Canada CIFAR AI Chair; Full Professor, Samsung AI; Professor, Université de Montréal; Scientific Director, Mila & IVADO
    • Yoshua Bengio, Canada CIFAR AI Chair; Full Professor, Samsung AI; Professor, Université de Montréal; Scientific Director, Mila & IVADO

  • 17:15 -
    CLOSE OF WORLD SUMMIT AI

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