The night before my interview with a few of the genius minds at Toronto’s Vector Institute, an organization dedicated to driving research and leadership in artificial intelligence to bolster Canada’s innovation economy, my tween daughter tells me about her new friend on Snapchat — an AI friend. “My AI” is a chatbot that was released eight days prior to my video call with Vector. Snapchatters can engage with My AI, which is powered by OpenAI ChatGPT technology, on any topic — they can “answer a burning trivia question, offer advice on the perfect gift for your BFF’s birthday, help plan a hiking trip for a long weekend or suggest what to make for dinner.” An unashamedly nervous mother mindful of internet safety and by no means informed in such emerging technologies, my reaction was very different from that of the Vector experts when I share the latest drama in my home. It does dawn on me that perhaps I’m unnecessarily alarmed — I can think of a handful of examples in which AI assists me every day. My iPhone unlocks using facial recognition; I rarely get behind the wheel without launching Google Maps; Siri
answers questions I don’t feel like Googling (I don’t always appreciate her tone, but I digress); and Instagram always seems to know what I want to purchase before I’ve even looked for it. Yes, my examples seem rather rudimentary in 2023, but you catch my drift. There’s a place for AI.
Cameron Schuler, Vector’s chief commercialization officer and vice-
president, industry innovation, and Craig Stewart, executive director, applied AI programs, seem to appreciate my yarn. As seasoned experts in the field who are surrounded by much more impressive applications of and research surrounding AI each and every day, they politely laugh along in solidarity when I share
my anecdote.
These two executives are super well-versed in AI and play significant roles at Vector, which launched in March 2017. Globally recognized for the distinct way it inspires and empowers businesses, researchers and governments to responsibly develop and use AI, Vector’s cofounders, including computer scientist and cognitive psychologist Geoffrey Hinton, set out to solve a problem. While top-level researchers and followers of Hinton (dubbed the “godfather of AI;” Hinton taught at the University of
Toronto and worked at Google for a decade) used to flock to work in the GTA, they wanted to find a way to allow companies to access the talented students in Hinton’s University of Toronto (U of T) lab and help businesses attract and retain gifted graduates. These brilliant scientific, political and financial minds imagined a Toronto-based AI hub — not unlike Mila in Montreal and the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (or Amii) in Edmonton — that would ensure there would always be a healthy supply of AI talent for businesses in Ontario and across the country. “We help academic institutions recruit and retain faculty, we fund research and we provide access to large-scale computing for people in the AI field. We are at the intersection of academia and industry, and our goal is to be that catalyst for the adoption of AI,” Schuler says fervently, adding Vector is currently attached to and affiliated with more than 15 universities from coast to coast (but primarily U of T and University of Waterloo) and boasts a community of more than 700 researchers.
At Vector, the sharpest brains and rising prodigies of AI are encouraged to collaborate with fellow experts to turn their big, bold ideas into full-fledged projects that will eventually benefit society. Companies that work with Vector have the definite advantage of supporting scientists and academics who can change the way their businesses operate. Schuler says the place is constantly buzzing with accomplished students and faculty. (“And there are always lots of people on computers here, too,” he laughs.) “It’s really become a convening place for faculty from various campuses who normally wouldn’t get to see each other, but at Vector, they find time. Students also get together and make happy connections — these people are passionate about research; they spend time talking about what they’re working on and that often leads to future collaborations. It’s truly a gathering and collaboration space,” he says. Stewart agrees and adds Vector is also a meeting ground for business and political leaders who are dedicated to ensuring Ontario’s innovation ecosystem is thriving. “The amount of brain power going through this place is quite unique. There are people who represent all sectors, all walks of life and so much diversity, as we’re drawing international talent from around the world and helping them set up here.”
Research at Vector falls into a few different categories; one of the biggest areas is in health, where researchers are taking leading AI and applying it to healthcare issues the country is facing. When I ask him for an example, Schuler instantly recalls Dr. Anna Goldenberg, a Vector faculty member and senior scientist, genetics and genome biology at SickKids, who created a tool to recognize the cardiac events in paediatric patients before they happen. “If healthcare providers can predict the event and know when the patient is going to crash, recovery rates are much higher and there’s a lower risk of damage to the patient. These are innovations that greatly impact the world around us,” he says. Vector also does a lot of work around trustworthy AI — ensuring it’s being used in the right way to solve human problems — and offers programs that aim to boost AI literacy (including how to reduce bias in AI).
Aside from assisting researchers, the Vector team spends much of its time working with both large enterprises and small- to medium-sized businesses. They support multinationals in three ways Schuler calls the “three Ts:” technology (how to work with code and apply AI to enhance the business); teams (recruiting talent through the RAISE AI program, which is all about talent placement, networking and supporting Master’s education in AI); and training (essentially, Vector experts teach companies what they learn from attending conferences, studying academic papers and other sources). A series of non-tech-related educational sessions are also on offer — project management for AI, how to build AI teams and ways to ensure your diverse teams are set up for success in Canada are popular programs.
In terms of working with startups and small- and medium-sized businesses looking to accelerate their AI commercialization journey, Stewart says the FastLane program gives entrepreneurs and executives access to leading technology experts (including AI engineers), professional development, talent, education on commercialization and intellectual property and the opportunity to be part of a growing innovation ecosystem. “Through our FastLane program, a health and safety company based in Lively, Ont., recently made their first AI hire and is using AI models for product solutions in their business — they weren’t doing that a year ago prior to joining the program,” says Stewart. “As another example, we have one company — a mushroom farmer out of Putnam, Ont., who came into our space with mud on his boots — that was using traditional imaging technology to harvest mushrooms. Through conversations with our team, they’ve moved to a more advanced system. There’s really something for everyone who comes through our program.” For CEOs or senior leaders of small businesses who are curious about AI, Vector has an introductory series that’s tailored to specific verticals and industries. “If they have employees at the early stages who want to learn about AI, we have the Excel to AI program that teaches the basics of Python, and as they get more advanced, we teach the latest techniques with the help of our talented engineers,” he says. “We’re quite proud of what we’ve built in just over a year with 60 businesses that took a leap to become part of our initial programming. We’re now approaching 200 businesses and we’re not slowing down.”
“The amount of brain power going through this place is quite unique. There are people who represent all sectors, all walks of life and so much diversity, as we’re drawing international talent from around the world and helping them set up here.”
Stewart points to the importance that’s placed on building relationships with regional innovation centres (like Spark Centre), accelerators and incubators, and why it’s so important to work in tandem to help businesses on their AI journeys. “These centres are vital to the success of the FastLane program because we’re not providing the core services that an innovation hub would offer. We’re unique in the marketplace in that we can help with AI talent training. We’ve found the onboarding process and program success rates are higher when companies work with these types of partners,” he says. Of course, companies that engage and actively participate in the FastLane program also reap more of the many rewards — they learn to optimize their use of AI. One of the most-attended events are the “Ask Me Anything” sessions, where businesses meet with some of Vector’s engineers and can ask anything about AI in an encouraging, relaxed environment. “It’s well-loved by companies. We really form a relationship with these participants and we’re able to better support them.”
Stewart points to the importance that’s placed on building relationships with regional innovation centres (like Spark Centre), accelerators and incubators, and why it’s so important to work in tandem to help businesses on their AI journeys. “These centres are vital to the success of the FastLane program because we’re not providing the core services that an innovation hub would offer. We’re unique in the marketplace in that we can help with AI talent training. We’ve found the onboarding process and program success rates are higher when companies work with these types of partners,” he says. Of course, companies that engage and actively participate in the FastLane program also reap more of the many rewards — they learn to optimize their use of AI. One of the most-attended events are the “Ask Me Anything” sessions, where businesses meet with some of Vector’s engineers and can ask anything about AI in an encouraging, relaxed environment. “It’s well-loved by companies. We really form a relationship with these participants and we’re able to better support them.”
“We want to have the most innovative businesses, the best researchers and we want them to be part of Canada’s national and international brand. It’s what gets us out of bed in the morning, and we’re achieving it.”
This support has made Vector a major player in Ontario’s innovation ecosystem, and Vector is poised to continue to flourish. “The innovation economy is driven by brains. We are ensuring talent is being produced in Ontario universities, we’re helping to retain and recruit faculty and we’re giving researchers the freedom to pursue what they think is interesting with the hopes that their work will one day impact the world,” says Schuler, adding the Greater Toronto Area is now one of the largest tech ecosystems in North America. “Ten years ago, no one was in AI. It wasn’t seen as having much commercial value. In Vector’s six years, we’ve seen a big change in the number of people involved in AI and the number of people wanting to get into it and use it in their business. There’s a lot of growth and opportunities. We have an ability to interact with technology in a way we never did before, and that’s impressive,” he says.
When it comes down to it, says Stewart, Vector seeks to be the best at what they do. “We want to have the most innovative businesses, the best researchers and we want them to be part of Canada’s national and international brand. It’s what gets us out of bed in the morning, and we’re achieving it.”
