JANUARY 17th, 2023

Read our 2021-2022 Report

Curious about our work this past year? Have a look at our interactive report, learn about our goals, success stories, our members’ work and its educational, research, and social impact.

First Ethics Salon 2023!

As a word, ethics invokes a behavioural stance—to conduct oneself ethically implies behaving in accordance with social norms of good conduct. However, in the context of the subject of copyright—what a layperson considers as good conduct is too often predicated on a misunderstanding as to what copyright is.
Arguably, most people would assume that copyright is a grant of absolute control which operates solely in service to the creator, be they a writer, musician, artist, photographer etc. However, copyright is a system, comprising rights of use and rights of control (where the owner is not necessarily the creator of the work). The act of creation is a cumulative one; a new work implicitly or explicitly draws from works that came before. To that end, ethical conduct in a copyright context requires meeting obligations set out in law to both copyright owners and copyright users.

With respect to artificial intelligence, copyright arises along two fronts. AI programs require training and thus rely on using existing copyright-protected works. AI programs themselves create works that could meet the threshold of originality necessary to qualify for copyright protection. How might the system of copyright ethically accommodate these developments?

Come and join us for the Ninth Ethical Data and AI Salon on January 25th featuring Dr. Faith Majekolagbe from the University of Alberta and Dr. Meera Nair from NAIT.

January 25th, 4:00pm to 5:30pm, Online for guests AND onsite for those who want to join us in person.

Computers and Games 2022 Videos release

Computers and Games Conference features cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology as applied to computer games. This year’s conference was held online, November 22-24. It featured four outstanding keynote talks and 15 refereed papers.
Watch all Keynotes and sessions here:

AI4IA Podcast

The AI4IA podcast series is in association with the Artificial Intelligence for Information Accessibility 2022 Conference on September 28, 2022, which commemorated the International Day for Universal Access to Information. The AI4IA Conference and the podcast series are hosted in collaboration with the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, the AI4Society Signature Area and the Kule Institute for Advanced Studies, both at the University of Alberta; the Centre for New Economic Diplomacy at the Observer Research Foundation in India; and the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica.

....or in your favourite platform:

Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube

Opportunities

Alberta Innovates Summer Research Studentship (SRS) applications open for 2023

Applications are now open for the Alberta Innovates Summer Research Studentship (SRS) program for summer 2023. This program is open to University of Alberta undergraduate and MD students interested in summer research in health/medical research & innovation, including Alberta Innovates priority areas (Digital Health, Data-Enabled Health Transformation, and Health Innovation & Technology Acceleration - see the SRS website for definitions). The stipend amount for the Alberta Innovates SRS program has increased this year to $1,875/month (max. $7,500 for a 4 month project). The deadline for applications is Monday, January 30, 2023 at 11:59p.m. Application materials and information for applicants is available at the SRS website.

Need help recruiting students?

URI has also recently launched a new research opportunity board on campusBRIDGE, the U of A Career Centre's platform for student job postings and experiential learning opportunities. If you have faculty who are still looking to recruit undergraduates for summer research positions (or other research opportunities), URI would be happy to assist in advertising these positions to students via campusBRIDGE. Information about how to submit a posting to campusBRIDGE is available on our Mentors & Instructors page.

Alberta Innovates SRS - Call for Adjudicators

URI is also recruiting faculty members to serve as adjudicators for our upcoming funding competitions, including the Alberta Innovates SRS. Faculty interested in serving on this year's Alberta Innovates SRS adjudication committee are urged to register here. Alberta Innovates SRS adjudicators are normally assigned ~18-20 short (3-5 page) proposals that are reviewed online between February 8-March 1, 2023.

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.