JANUARY 2021

AI4Society Events

Dialogue on Privacy Legislation

Thursday, January 21st, 2021 - 4:00pm

The Trudeau government introduced new privacy legislation in November of 2020. What does this new legislation mean for Canadians? How will change how our data is handled and how might it change the way we experience digital spaces?

AI for Society is organizing an online discussion about the new privacy legislation by an interdisciplinary group of researchers to better understand the legislation and to ask questions about the legislation. Please join us as we discuss the new legislation and its implications.

Presentations (followed by an open discussion) by Michael McNally, James Frank, Steven Penney, Jonathan Cohn, Nicole Denier, Nidhi Hedge.

Join us here: meet.google.com/aes-rvxm-osx
More information here

Current Opportunities and Perspectives
on Digital Law in Canada

Thursday, January 28, 2021 - 12:00pm

Colin Lachance: Executive Director of the Legal Innovation Data Institute, presented by "Digital Law Tea Time Talks!"
Digital Law Tea Time Talks are a chance for law and tech geeks to learn about topics at the intersection of those fields. A short presentation on a work in progress, recent article or experience will be followed by open Q&A. The 12-1 pm time block includes a "digital commute" allowing everyone to sign in and get settled. The actual presentation and discussion will go from 12:10-12:50 MT.
Google Meets Link: https://meet.google.com/ges-xfow-qsj
Hosted by the Digital Law & Innovation Society. Find us at https://dlis.ca/

New Podcast: AI4Society Dialogs

On January 11th we launch the first number of our podcast: Jonathan Schaeffer: Building an AI research powerhouse at the University of Alberta. We will be premiering a new episode bi-weekly, so stay connected! If you want to know about this Podcast, have a look to this excellent review from our friends of Folio. Visit the official site AI4Society Dialogues to learn more.

What's coming - Episode 2: Michael Bowling: Game-changing AI research

As constructed environments with clear parameters, games are an ideal proving ground for AI research. Michael Bowling, whose AI program won the World Championship of Poker (twice!), takes a playful approach in using games to solve big, complex challenges.

Listen to all episodes on these platforms!

Grant Opportunities

Tec de Monterrey - UofA Collaborative Projects and Workshop

UAlberta and ITESM, wishing to further their partnerships in Energy, Artificial Intelligence and other areas of mutual interest, have established a competitive seed grant program to encourage and catalyze collaborations between the two universities.
UAlberta and ITESM will each commit CAN $90,000 per year in funding for the seed grant program. Proposals may request up to a maximum of CAN $45,000 for one year (with up to CAN $22,500 provided from each institution).
A workshop was held on December 15 between AI researchers in the two institutions to explore opportunities for collaboration and proposal development. If you need information about this event, presenters, contact information, etc please contact us at ai4s@ualberta.ca.
At this point, the application process is open, and it will remain open until the deadline on March 1st, 2021.
Full information here

Call For AI Instructional Materials

The AI4Society Signature Area calls for proposals to create instructional materials, for modules on artificial intelligence and its social/ethical impact. Proposals will be funded with up to $1000.
Proposals will be adjudicated as they are submitted and up until the earmarked funds are exhausted.
Full information here

Joint Initiative for Digital Citizen Research - Connection Grants

The IDCR aims to develop a better understanding of the impacts of online disinformation in Canada, in order to better inform programs and policies, and to build Canada’s capacity to conduct research on – and related to – countering online disinformation and other related online harms. This initiative will also help foster a community of researchers engaged with digital citizenship and online disinformation in Canada.
Deadline: February 1, 2021.

CIHR: Health Research Training Platform Pilot

With the HRTP Pilot, CIHR will support the development of research leaders of tomorrow by equipping trainees and early career researchers (ECRs) with the experiences and skills needed to lead high-impact, interdisciplinary health research careers in a rapidly evolving research landscape.

Funding pools for this opportunity include: AI, Public Health and Equity; Boys, Men and Masculinities; Girls and Women's Health and Wellness; Integrating Mental Health Services within Primary and Community Care; Stigma Reduction and Life Course Mental Wellness for LGBTQ/2S Populations.

Application deadline: April 21st, 2021

Who

Any UofAlberta community member (faculty, researcher, or student) interested in any and all aspects of Artificial Intelligence!

Why

• To stay informed about AI-related funding opportunities and events (research grants, internships, competitions, ...)
• To access AI4Society support for research and teaching initiatives
• To profile your research and to collaborate with other community members, through our Forum.

How

Send an email with a brief description of your affiliation, interests, and activities related to artificial intelligence to ai4s@ualberta.ca.

Western University: Two Faculty Positions in AI, Jointly between the Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science

The Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Science at The University of Western Ontario, one of Canada’s leading research-intensive universities, are jointly seeking applicants for two (2) faculty positions in the area of Artificial Intelligence. Successful applicants will be appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor (Probationary Tenure- track), Associate Professor (Probationary Tenure-track or Tenured), or Full Professor with Tenure depending on qualifications and experience.
Consideration of applications will begin February 15, 2021, with the intent that the new faculty members will join Western’s faculty effective July 1, 2021. The successful applicants will be Joint-Appointed in the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with their home department determined by their research area.
For more information, visit this link

Postdoctoral Fellowship Position in Sustainable And Smart Cities And Communities - Civil Engineering

One postdoctoral position is available immediately to support the research conducted by Dr. Mustafa Gül and his team on sustainable and smart cities and communities focusing on infrastructure and energy systems. The candidate will work on data analytics and image/video processing using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deep learning, computer modeling, software development, and must demonstrate their ability to integrate these skills. The position is available for one year with the possibility of renewal.
Position open until filled. To apply, visit this link

Scotiabank Postdoctoral Fellowship on AI and Inclusion

The AI + Society Initiative at the University of Ottawa is seeking candidates for a Scotiabank Postdoctoral Fellowship on AI and Inclusion that will support an innovative research program focused on reimagining how to design ethical and inclusive Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems.
Applicants are encouraged to propose creative ideas for a postdoctoral fellowship, emphasizing how they plan to contribute to new knowledge in developing effective inclusive and participatory ethical design/engineering frameworks for AI systems that avoid the disturbing risk of amplifying global digital injustices through AI for marginalized populations (women, youth, seniors, Indigenous People, LGBTQIA+, racialized people, people with disabilities, and linguistic minorities—and those marginalized by intersecting oppressions such as racism, sexism, and homophobia.)
The position will focus on the following three topics: AI + Mobility, AI + Healthcare, and Developing Ethical AI Engineering Requirements.
Further details for the application can be found here. The selection committee will start to review applications on January 31, 2021.

PRESENTATIONS

The innovation Bridge Series

As a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow, do you find many of your waking hours are consumed by your research project? Well, you may have a lot more in common with entrepreneurs and innovators than you think. The opportunity to be creative, solve problems and have an impact on the world around us are common motivators to both groups. Join this Innovation Bridge conversation to learn about how you can leverage your strengths to benefit an entrepreneurial venture – whether for social causes or for profit. Any venture requires people with different talents. There is a community out there to help you take the steps to be successful in starting a venture.
Mark Benning is the Founder and CEO of Founderly.co, as well as a managing partner with Sprout Fund, investing in innovative Western Canadian tech startups. He is an experienced entrepreneur who founded and led four investor-backed, technology start-ups in Silicon Valley, California over a 20-year period. In addition to managing strategy, business development, sales, and finance, Mark raised over $100 million in angel and venture funding for his start-ups and others he advised. Over the years, he has worked for various private equity and venture capital firms, to learn what start-up life was like "from the other side of the table." Mark is also a CTI-trained, Co-Active Leadership executive coach, a Valhalla Angels investor, an A100 group entrepreneur member, and a VMS start-up mentor. Mark has a BA in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford University, where he focused on leadership and entrepreneurship. Between his time at Harvard and Stanford, he played professional ice hockey in Europe and travelled extensively throughout the world. Mark now enjoys sharing his knowledge, experience, and network with other technology entrepreneurs to help grow their start-up companies into profitable and successful businesses.
January 27, 2021 from 12:00pm - 1:00 pm
More information on CampusBridge
Join us in Zoom

The Ageing Society in the Era of Pandemics: Approaches in Japan and Canada

We are pleased to host our 4th webinar on Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Series 4: Mobilizing Serious Game during COVID-19
Sponsored by the Consulate General of Japan in Calgary
A dialogue between Prof. Hiroyuki Matsukuma (Professor, Department of Content and Creative Design, Kyushu University. Director, Serious Game Project) AND Prof. Geoffrey Rockwell (Professor, Department of Philosophy and Digital Humanities, University of Alberta. Director, Kule Institute for Advanced Study)
Wednesday, January 27, 2021 | 5:00 pm (MST)
Thursday, January 28, 2021 | 9:00 am (Japan)
Please register by Monday January 25 here
For more information email: ptjc@ualberta.ca or visit our website

AI Seminar Autonomous navigation of stratospheric balloons using reinforcement learning by Marlos C. Machado

Efficiently navigating a superpressure balloon in the stratosphere requires the integration of a multitude of cues, such as wind speed and solar elevation, and the process is complicated by forecast errors and sparse wind measurements. Coupled with the need to make decisions in real time, these factors rule out the use of conventional control techniques. This talk describes the use of reinforcement learning to create a high-performing flight controller for Loon superpressure balloons. Our algorithm uses data augmentation and a self-correcting design to overcome the key technical challenge of reinforcement learning from imperfect data, which has proved to be a major obstacle to its application to physical systems. We deployed our controller to station Loon balloons at multiple locations across the globe, including a 39-day controlled experiment over the Pacific Ocean. Analyses show that the controller outperforms Loon’s previous algorithm and is robust to the natural diversity in stratospheric winds. These results demonstrate that reinforcement learning is an effective solution to real-world autonomous control problems in which neither conventional methods nor human intervention suffice, offering clues about what may be needed to create artificially intelligent agents that continuously interact with real, dynamic environments.

DATE & TIME: Jan 22, 2021, 12.00-1.00pm MST
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 930 9882 7665
Passcode: W!nter2021

Keep an eye on the AI Seminar website for more details on upcoming talks from Nils Forkert (University of Calgary) and Denise Campbell-Scherer (FoMD, University of Alberta).

HACKATHONS

Machacks

MacHacks is one of the only AI-focused hackathons in North America, taking place virtually on February 5th-7th 2021 for 36 hours. We aim to provide students with opportunities to challenge themselves, collaborate with teammates, attend unique workshops, as well as network with corporate representatives!
We believe that students within your network would be interested in participating in MacHacks and think it would be great if you would be willing to share this exciting opportunity with them! We look forward to having applicants from different schools, a diverse array of programs, as well as a range of applicants from beginners to technology enthusiasts.
February 5th to 7th.
Apply here!

Want to share something with AI4Society members?
Send us the information
We'll add it in our next newsletter and social media pages

For information about
AI experts, and AI-related events and opportunities,
visit https://ai4society.ca