This year, Amii was excited to host the CIFAR Deep Learning+Reinforcement Learning (DLRL) Summer School, where more than 100 students from around the world descended upon Amii HQ in Edmonton (July 21 - August 1, 2025). Hosted in rotation by the three national AI centers—Amii, Mila, and Vector Institute—in partnership with CIFAR, this prestigious event offers unparalleled opportunities. During the DLRL Summer School, participants engage in high-level scientific exploration in AI with Canada CIFAR AI Chairs, collaborate on hands-on research projects, and forge valuable professional networks. The program has long been a launchpad for some of the brightest minds in AI, including Ilya Sutskever, an early attendee of the summer school who went on to co-found OpenAI.
"For over 20 years, DLRL has been a platform for the world’s most promising AI talent,” says Nabilah Chowdhury, Director of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, CIFAR. “DLRL enables young talent to partake in leading-edge conversations, ultimately sparking breakthrough ideas and producing lifelong collaborations. To date, nearly 3,000 individuals have participated in the program, with many alumni having achieved major breakthroughs and often citing the DLRL Summer School as an early career inspiration."
"Collaboration and curiosity are the keys to exploring what is beyond possible and unlocking a better future for everyone."
As this year’s host, Amii was pleased to showcase the groundbreaking work of our own Canada CIFAR AI Chairs, who are pushing the boundaries of fundamental AI. Participants benefited from a diverse range of sessions, including Model-Based RL, presented by Martha White; Multi-Agent RL, from Matt Taylor; Black Box Models & AI for Health, from Ross Mitchell; and Deep Reinforcement Learning, presented by Marlos C. Machado.
A major highlight was the keynote from recent Turing Award winner and Amii's Chief Scientific Advisor, Richard Sutton. His talk, "The Age of Experience," served as a testament to his groundbreaking work in reinforcement learning, providing a glimpse into the future of the field from one of its pioneers.
"The DLRL Summer School was a wonderful opportunity to welcome the world's next generation of AI leaders to Amii. Seeing such incredible talent come together to ask big questions and explore the future of AI has been truly inspiring," says Cam Linke, Amii CEO. “Hosting this event is a tangible example of Amii’s deep commitment to strengthening Canada's AI ecosystem, and it reinforces our belief that collaboration and curiosity are the keys to exploring what is beyond possible and unlocking a better future for everyone."