May News: AI Week is nearly here!

Hi there,

It's hard to believe we're just days away from AI Week! It seems like just yesterday that we were sending out save-the-date notices, and now we’re putting the final touches on what is gearing up to be one of the biggest celebrations of AI excellence in Canada. We can’t wait to host you and show you all the great work that’s happening across our AI community.

If you haven’t already gotten your ticket, there’s still time for you to join us to celebrate Alberta’s rich history of AI research and innovation. Get your ticket today.

For those of you who have already secured your tickets, sessions are starting to fill up quickly! Make sure to build your schedule on our AI Week App to reserve your spot at our many keynotes, panels and networking sessions across the four days.

There’s a little something for everyone at AI Week, and we look forward to seeing you there!

See you soon at AI Week,

May Highlights

Industry & Community Updates:

• Amii CEO Cam Linke is the newest member of Canada's Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence, where he'll lend his expertise to advising the federal government on how to best harness the potential of AI.
• Startups: learn about machine learning and how it can drive value in your business in our new ML Exploration Program! This free online program (valued at $3,000) consists of workshops, check-ins, coaching and self-directed work. Apply by May 19. 
• Amii teamed up with Blindman Brewing on the launch of their May Long Double IPA, developing AI-generated art that will be featured on cans across Alberta and Western Canada this summer. The beer was released in anticipation of AI Week. Read Taproot Edmonton's article on the collaboration.
• Our April AI Meetup was all about AI & video games, and featured Levi Lelis (Fellow & Canada CIFAR AI Chair at Amii) on how AI-generated curriculums could help humans learn, as well as Devon Sigurdson (Associate Technical Director at Bioware) on what goes into creating believable video game characters.
• How do you tell your personal story and grow as an AI talent? Amii alum Kory Mathewson takes you through the Four Directions to Sail Your Ship, covering the best way to build relationships and find opportunities within the AI community.
• Edmonton's reputation as a centre for machine learning continues to grow. Check out some recent stories from Global News and Skift on our vibrant AI ecosystem.

Research Updates:

• Ask AI Podcast recently interviewed Jacob Jaremko (Amii Fellow and Canada CIFAR AI Chair) about his company Medo.ai’s work using AI to make a stethoscope for the 21st century.
• Alona Fyshe (Amii Fellow and Canada CIFAR AI Chair) was also recently interviewed on Ask AI Podcast for her work on natural language processing and how brain activity can improve the way we teach computers to talk.
• How likely are people to trust a diagnosis from a digital doctor? That’s one of the pressing questions being asked by Russ Greiner (Amii Fellow and Canada CIFAR AI Chair) as AI becomes more integral in healthcare. Read his thoughts on building trust in medical ML models in the second article of our AI in Healthcare series.
• The 10th annual International Conference on Learning Representation (ICLR), one of the premier conferences dedicated to advancements in deep learning, featured four papers from Amii researchers.
• Amii research was also featured at the 2022 International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS), one of the world's largest and most influential conferences on agents and multiagent systems. Matt Taylor (Amii Fellow and Canada CIFAR AI Chair) served as co-chair of this year's conference. 

Training Updates:

• Your career in AI is waiting! Built for both technical and non-technical folks, our Kickstart Program is an early career development program for women and gender-diverse individuals. Apply by May 31 and check out some recent pieces by Taproot Edmonton and BetaKit on the program.
• Take the first step in your AI learning journey with ML Foundations 1! This live online class will give you a crash course on the basics, building foundational knowledge using real-world examples. Register for our June 2 class.
• ML Foundations 2 continues to build off of the foundational knowledge taught in ML Foundations 1, taking a closer look at technical concepts. Register for our June 9 class!
• This year’s AI4Good Lab features 90 participants from across Canada! We are thrilled to welcome the Edmonton cohort.
• The AI Career Accelerator provides you with tangible career-building support, resources and opportunities as you pursue a career in AI! Learn more about the program and how it can help you.

Events at AI Week: May 24-27

With events taking place across four days throughout Edmonton and online, AI Week has something for everyone – including sessions, networking events and socials for a range of ages and familiarity with AI.

Highlights include:

• Keynotes from leaders in the field, including Richard S. Sutton, Alona Fyshe, Martha White, Dornoosh Zonoobi and Jacob Jaremko
• Panels on AI career paths for kids, AI for competitive advantage and the ethics of AI
• A career and talent mixer connecting AI career seekers with top companies
• Informal networking and social events such as Coffee Catchups and Beers with Peers
• The Amiiversary street party, hosted on Rice Howard Way in Edmonton’s downtown core
• Our Amii House Party kicking off AI Week hosted at a secret, soon-to-be-announced location
• Community events from our fabulous community partners on a diverse range of topics, including cloud computing, AI in construction, and AI-fueled social impact solutions

Get a taste of our schedule on our Program page and see the full schedule once you register on the AI Week app! If you haven't yet, pick up your ticket today!

Upcoming Events

June 1-3: Inventures

Join the best and brightest in global innovation for three days of learning, inspiration and creative collisions. From rousing keynotes and expert panels, to startup pitch competitions and informal networking opportunities, Inventures is three incredible days of discovery. Join in-person in Calgary or online.

Get your ticket

June 6: Amazon Web Services (AWS) AI/ML Learning Days - Calgary

Lower latency. More availability. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is launching its new infrastructure Region in Alberta, bringing these benefits to AI and ML research communities across the province. Learn more about the new Region and how you can leverage it at AWS Initiate Day on June 6 in Calgary.

Register today

June 8-10: NanoCanada - From Earth to Space

From Earth to Space brings together the best of industry and science innovation for a truly experiential conference. Make sure to catch Amii CEO Cam Linke & Randy Goebel (Fellow and Member of the Board of Directors at Amii) at this prestigious event.

Register today

June 9: Amazon Web Services (AWS) AI/ML Learning Days - Edmonton

Lower latency. More availability. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is launching its new infrastructure Region in Alberta, bringing these benefits to AI and ML research communities across the province. Learn more about the new Region and how you can leverage it at AWS Initiate Day on June 9 in Edmonton.

Register today

Career Opportunities

• Identify, attract and engage with the best talent in the market – apply to be our Talent Acquisition Specialist by May 30.
• Work on some of the most complex problems in applied machine learning – apply to be our Lead Machine Learning Scientist - Advanced Technology by June 3

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