Recent participations of the CEIMIA team – September to November 2023

Photo credit: Stephanie King

In collaboration with INRIA, CEIMIA hosted the very first edition of the GPAI Innovation workshop. Representatives from 17 member countries, as well as observers from international organisations and institutions, travelled to Montreal to work with the Working Groups’s co-chairs and the current projects’ co-leads. Over the course of two days, Experts and delegates examined the current issues raised by AI. Together, they contributed to defining the GPAI priorities and delopped roadmaps for potential future projects. During these 12 hours of workshop, a total of 44 project ideas arose. They will be presented to member countries in the form of a white paper by the end of the year.

On the side of the main workshops, Thomas Mboa, CEIMIA’s researcher in residence, met with several actors from the Canadian ecosystem invested in the development of the African continent. Together, they decided to join forces in the near future, for a bigger positive impact of AI in Africa.

Last September, CEIMIA was also the proud co-organiser of the very first edition of ALL IN, the largest event dedicated to the AI ecosystem in Canada. CEIMIA was able to showcase Quebec’s expertise, as well as several international Experts from its network, during an entire day dedicated to responsible AI. Throughout the day, interested participants filled the room. More than thirty panellists discussed some of the hottest topics of the moment, such as the governance of generative AI, the role of AI in combating climate change and preserving biodiversity, the future of work in this new era, diversity, equity and inclusion in AI, and existing regulatory approaches to AI.

Co-organized by Scale.ai, Mila, the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal and CEIMA, ALL IN also addressed other essential subjects, such as the application of AI in business, the necessary balance between innovation, security and regulation, and the leading role played by Canada and Quebec in the rapid development of this technology. 

Three CEIMIA team members had the opportunity to share their expertise during panel discussions. 

ALL IN will be back with a 2nd edition at the fall of 2024!

ALL IN 2023 video recap

On November 1st and 2nd, some CEIMIA team members and GPAI Experts attended the UK AI Safety Summit, a highly anticipated event for the international community. The event brought together government representatives from around the world, civil society actors, businesses, professionals and academics to address the safety risks and challenges associated with increasingly powerful AI models. The main objective was to pursue and materialise the numerous discussions on risk mitigation through coordinated action at international level. The event culminated in the signing of the Bletchley Declaration.

On the side of the event, Sophie Fallaha, CEIMIA’s Executive Director, participated in a discussion about the importance of  international-level governance, and the role of international Summits in framing risks arising from AI systems in a practical way. 

Early November, the 4th and final public convening of the GPAI Working Groups organised by India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. On this occasion, the co-chairs of the Future of Work Working Group and the project’s co-leads presented the major advances in their work, and continued the discussion around this issue which is raising a number of concerns within the international community.

Read the policy brief