MAY 17, 2021

Events

Art & AI Speaker Series

Join us on the first event of the Art & AI Speaker Series, an initiative carried by Marilène Oliver, lead of the Know Thyself as a Virtual Reality Collaboratory.

This series will be characterized by having two portions, first a presentation where our guest will expose their research followed by a technical demonstration in the shape of a workshop on a different day.

#1 ArtAIfacts: Co-Creation with Non-Human Systems by Dana Dal Bo

Recent advances in generative AI are rapidly blurring the lines between human and machine creation. Deep-fakes are being produced and distributed at an alarming pace with fidelity so dramatic it is increasingly difficult to distinguish what is ‘real’ and what is machine generated. In this presentation and workshop. Dana Dal Bo will consider how we might “co-create” with these systems and explore machine vision algorithms at a catalyst for artistic expression.

• Presentation - 12pm (MDT) 3rd June 2021
• Workshop - 10am (MDT) 4th June 2021
• Register at https://forms.gle/BzGauXcbFJdAYNJT7
• More information here

Take Control of Algorithms, Data, and Infrastructure

Meredith Whittaker​ - In Conversation with Andrew Clement​

Meredith Whittaker founded Google’s Open Research Group, co-founded M-Lab, and is a Minderoo Research Professor at New York University where she is co-founder and faculty director of the AI Now Institute. She has been an advisor to the White House, the FCC, the European Parliament among others on artificial intelligence and internet policy. Join Meredith is conversation with Andrew Clement, Professor Emeritus in University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information where he coordinates the Information Policy Research Program and co-founded the Identity Privacy and Security Institute.

• Wednesday June 2, 2021 4:00pm to 5:30pm
• Co-sponsors: Edmonton Public Library, Milton Public Library, Thunder Bay Public Library, Toronto Public Library, Vancouver Public Library
• Zoom link to event ryerson.zoom.us/j/91941276567
• This is a free event and no registration is required.
• Please contact cfe@ryerson.ca if you require accommodation to ensure inclusion in this event.
• More information here

Advances in AI and Genomics

The Embassy of Mexico in Canada and the University of Alberta Precision Health Signature Area invite you to the webinar “Advances in AI and Genomics: Creating a Revolution in Healthcare" where we explore the promise of personalized healthcare—encompassing targeted treatments, advanced diagnostics, and large-scale analysis of (big) health data—for improved patient outcomes and sustainable health care systems of the future. In this one-hour webinar, we will hear perspectives from experts from Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

• Time and date: May 21, 2021 11:00 AM MDT
• Register here.

AI4Society Dialogs

On May 10th our seventh episode was premiered, Episode Nine: Deb Verhoeven: Networked Data: Gender, Power and Relationships. Visit the official site AI4Society Dialogues to hear this and our previous episodes.

What's coming: Our last episode of Season 1!
Episode Ten: Rich Sutton: Reinforcement learning and the future of AI

Can we teach AI to learn from it’s own experiences? That’s the premise behind reinforcement learning. Dr. Rich Sutton in a University of Alberta Professor in computer science and one of the leading figures in AI research today.

Release date: May 24th, 2021

Listen to all episodes on these platforms!

Looking for more podcasts? visit the UofA Podcast directory!

AI4Society News

Congratulations!

On a collaborative effort between the Energy Systems and AI4Society University of Alberta Signature Areas with the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores, Tec de Monterrey in México four proposals where selected for the ITESM-UofA Seed Grant Program. Our most sincere congratulations to:

• Matthew E. Taylor
  Human-in-the-Loop Software for Improving Latent Fingerprint Identification
• Carrie Demmans Epp
  The role of affect in online higher education: A comparative study in Canada and Mexico
• Bo Cao
  Early Detection of Depression and Other Mental Disorders Using Machine Learning
• Yunwei (Ryan) Li
  Development of smart grid and energy storage management technologies for distribution networks

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.

Calls for Papers

Ethics in the Age of Smart Systems: Special Issue of IRIE

In collaborative partnership, the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society in Berlin, the AI4Society Signature Area at the University of Alberta, and the Center for Digital Ethics and Policy at Loyola University Chicago call for papers for a collection with the title Ethics in the Age of Smart Systems - Special Issue of IRIE. This publication builds on the 10th Annual International Symposium of the Center for Digital Ethics and Policy. This Symposium was on the topic of Ethics in the Age of Smart Systems and was held on April 19th, 20th, and 21st. This Symposium brought together researchers from Canada, the USA, Germany and beyond working in the interdisciplinary area of AI, ethics and policy. It built upon a series of Ethics Dialogues that took place between February and March 2021.

• CFP deadline for abstract: June 30th
• More information here.

Post Doc Openings

Post Doctorate Fellow in Health Data Science
The McMaster Centre for Transfusion Research

The Post-Doctorate Fellow will work and collaborate in a multi-disciplinary group of data scientists, clinicians, researchers, and graduate students. The candidate will have access to a large healthcare database centred on blood transfusion, inventory, laboratory tests, and administrative data in Ontario. The Post-Doctorate Fellow will contribute to the development of a comprehensive data platform for Transfusion Medicine interventions and outcomes. The candidate will analyze the data for emerging trends and predictions. The candidate will work closely with health professionals and clinical researchers in transfusion medicine to address relevant questions in health services research and outcomes.

Find the full call here.

Volunteer and Job Opportunities

ADA's Team

Individuals face a huge learning curve when entering the tech industry, as there's a multitude of industry standards and practices that aren't normalized in an academic setting. In consideration of the large barriers already in place for underrepresented groups in tech, Ada's Developers strives to foster a collaborative and low-stake agile environment for our diverse community to obtain essential technical skills.
Similar to a bootcamp, we emulate the tech industry experience where software developers, designers, and project managers work side-by-side in releasing quality software at an industry standard. Participants will attend workshops, a hackathon, check-ins (with industry mentors and the organizers), and demos throughout the program.

Open Volunteer Positions
We're looking for passionate volunteers to join as organizers! We have positions open for:

• Administrative Manager
• HR Coordinator
• Social Media & Marketing Manager
• Finance Manager

Please fill out the form by Monday, June 7th, apply here.

Open Positions

Do you have a passion for aesthetics and design? If so, then we'd love to have you on our team! As our Social Media and Marketing Manager, your responsibilities would include:

• Create social media posts and designing templates as part of our brand
• Maintain a regular posting schedule showcasing our events and cohort
• Attend our events to get some photos for our accounts
• Submit events to Bearsden

Please fill out the form by Friday, May 21st, apply here.

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