Amii Monthly News - December 2023

It’s been quite the year, both for Amii and the world of AI at large. We’ve seen exciting leaps forward in the technology, and AI becoming a bigger part of our daily lives. More and more companies are seeing the potential that artificial intelligence has to transform what they do. 

This month, we’re taking a look back at some of the big trends in AI in 2023 and how Amii has been involved in them. We'll be celebrating some of the ways that Amii has pushed forward the science of machine learning, and the ways we have helped industry leaders develop real-world AI solutions. We just posted about Finbarr Timbers' talk during Upper Bound about GPT research and what the future might look like.

We'll have more Best of Amii posts in the coming days, so keep an eye on our LinkedIn, X/Twitter, and Instagram.

We’re looking forward to even more in the new year. As part of that, our Talent team is interested in hearing from you: what do you think will be the biggest gap in skillset for emerging AI talent over the next year? We’d love to hear from you in this short survey so we can better understand what your needs are for AI Talent. 

I hope you all have a safe and fun holiday this year. We’re looking forward to another inspiring year in 2024.

See you soon,

December Highlights

Community & Industry Updates:

• We're looking back at another amazing year at Amii. One of our favourites was during Upper Bound, Finbarr Timbers explored the impact of ChatGPT and its practical applications. If you missed it then, you can find the full session here. 
• Amii’s Talent team is interested in hearing from you - what do you think will be the biggest gap in skillset for emerging AI talent over the next year?” Let us know here.
• Mara Cairo (Product Owner - Advanced Tech at Amii) is on the latest episode of Alter Everything, where she talks about the transformational potential of AI & how to drive AI adoption in an organization.
  

Research Updates:

• Get to know our newest Amii Fellows in these Q&A videos, where they discuss their research: Xingyu Li's work on computer vision and health informatics, Geoffrey Rockwell's thoughts on AI ethics, and Bailey Kacsmar talking about protecting data privacy. 
• We've once again challenged students to explain their NeurIPS research papers in one minute or less. Check out how they did, and learn more about the Amii work being presented at the conference.
• Amii Fellow and Canada CIFAR AI Chair Alona Fyshe shares some advice for anyone planning to pursue a PhD.
• The latest round of AI Seminars includes talks from Dr. Deepa Krishnaswamy on “AI-derived annotations for lung cancer collections using NCI Imaging Data Commons" and Eric Graves on “Balancing Bias and Variance in Emphatic Off-policy Reinforcement Learning."

Training Updates:

• Registration is open for ML Foundations 1, a crash course in AI & machine learning. Sign up now for the Jan. 18 class.
• Build on that knowledge with a more technical focus in ML Foundations 2. Sign up for the Jan. 25 class.
• Build awareness of best practices in AI standards and governance with our AI Ethics 1 course on Feb. 22.
• Get hands-on experience in building an ethics framework in AI Ethics 2 on Jan. 19.

Upcoming Events

Jan. 29 - 31, 2024

SPE Workshop: Unlocking the Power of Data Analytics in Oil & Gas

Collaborate with data analytics thought leaders in the Oil & Gas sector to create a brighter, data-driven future.
Attendees will embark on a transformative journey where speakers will demonstrate how to seamlessly fuse data analytics into the heart of the industry's operations.

This interactive workshop will offer a platform for industry professionals to come together, forge meaningful connections, share their invaluable experiences, and collaborate in unlocking the untapped potential of data analytics.

Catch Amii's own David Chan ( Product Lead - Industry) who will be a panelist on Monday, January 29 at 4:30pm.

More details

Feb. 8 - 9, 2024

Eco Impact

Learning Series & Awards Gala

Welcome to ECO IMPACT 2024, where industry leaders, innovators, and enthusiasts from across the industry come together to share, learn, and collaborate on sustainable solutions. Dive into two transformative days of innovative discussions, networking, and celebration of environmental professionals.

Amii's own Russ Erickson (VP, Investment and Partnerships) will be discussing how AI is important to every industry, especially those in the environmental space.

Learn more

Feb. 16 - 18, 2024

NASH 86 Student Journalism Conference

Canada's largest student journalism conference.
NASH 86 is where student journalists gather to learn from experts, develop their skills, and network with like-minded individuals from all over the country.

Join the NAIT Nugget in Edmonton, Alberta from February 16-18, 2024 for three days of unforgettable panels, info sessions, lectures and more.

Amii's own Scott Lilwall (Science Communications Associate) will be speaking about how to incorporate AI into journalism!

Register today

May 28 - 30, 2024

2024 National Forum on Earth Observation

This event will bring together Canadian stakeholders from industry, academia, Indigenous communities and government in order to assess current Earth observation (EO) undertakings and discuss the next steps for satellite EO in Canada.

The program will include plenary sessions and workshops. Amii's own Payam Mousavi (Applied Research Scientist) will be a virtual panelist on May 29, 2024.

Learn more

Career Opportunities

• We're looking for a Machine Learning Intern to help develop a unique generative multi-media solution. Find out more and apply now!
• On the Advanced Tech team, we're looking for a Postdoctoral Fellow with knowledge and research experience in ML, reinforcement learning and GFlowNets!
• We've also got an opening for our Director, Engineering to help support our infrastructure and internal systems to ensure our ML research and Applied AI projects operate securely and effectively.
• The University of Alberta is searching for candidates for some of the researcher positions Amii announced earlier this year. They currently include:
  • Assistant, Associate or Full Professor, AI & Indigeneity
  • Assistant Professor, Remote Sensing and ML in Earth/Environmental Sciences
  • Assistant Professor, Biophysics and ML
  • Assistant Professor, AI & Biological Cognition
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry
  • Assistant Professor, Theoretical Quantum Physics & ML; CIFAR AI & QHA Chair
  • Tenure-Track Positions in Robotics
  • Tenure-Track Positions in AI & ML
  • Assistant Professor in Applied ML / AI in Land Use Science

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