AI for Social Good The Walrus Podcasts

What is intelligence? Does it require ethical research, group think or just a well-programmed code? Today, intelligence has an added layer of data and computing power. And AI, a still emerging technology, poses both opportunities and risks. Navneet Alang is a Tech Journalist for the Toronto Star. He talks about AI’s narrative of progress, its limits and the need for humans to change–not just technology.


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Audiences aren’t the same post-pandemic. Society has changed socially, technologically and ecologically. To move through the challenge of the last few years, art might be the only industry uniquely positioned to create the kind of change needed to shift towards an innovation mindset. Mariel Marshall is the Artist and Entrepreneur of Bluemouth Inc. and Tandem Experiences.   
She talks about shifting from an outdated model focused on production and presentation, and the discrepancy between the sector's self-perceived cultural relevance and low audience engagement data. She uses this discussion to introduce a project called LucyAI, which combines art and artificial intelligence to create an interactive and experiential piece based on the life of artist Lucy Simic


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Hospitals have seen increased patient registration since the pandemic. There is a massive need to solve problems old and new with expediency. Engineers and Data Scientists have started creating, innovating and changing the face of how patients receive care once they enter the doors of a hospital Triage. Dr. Devin Singh, an emergency physician at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), holds a Master's in Computer Science degree from the University of Toronto. He’s an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in both the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Division of Computer Science. He is also an emerging scholar helping to innovate the regulatory, privacy, and ethical landscape for AI in Canada. He talks to us about the Hero AI platform and how it can empower patients and practitioners to receive and provide quality care.
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There’s much excitement around AI in business, but a lot of open questions, too. How can AI transform your organization? And where do you even begin? Craig Alleva is the Director of Customer Engineering for Google Cloud in Canada. In this role, he collaborates with organizations across Canada to apply AI-powered Cloud solutions to transform their ways of working. He has experienced first-hand the unprecedented shift that’s underway thanks to generative AI, and has unique insight into how it will change the way businesses operate and engage with their consumers. Here, he talks about the impact of AI on Canadian organizations and how they’re applying it today.
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AI technology has made the search for the perfect job candidate more efficient and convenient for employers. But there isn’t enough attention being paid to what that means for marginalized groups. It’s important to acknowledge and counteract the possibility for bias and discrimination that the algorithm could introduce in the hiring process. Dr. Golnoosh Farnadi is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science at McGill University, Adjunct Professor at the University of Montréal, Core Academic Member of Mila (The largest AI lab in the world) and Chair of Canada CIFAR AI. She talks about fairness and equity in the HR processes and the need for responsibility in AI development, transparency, and ensuring human oversight in critical decision-making processes.
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Energy use and Emissions are the climate topics of the day. If we narrow the conversation down to emissions, we have to talk about one of the top three contributors to greenhouse gas emissions: transportation. This means commercial vehicles have the potential to make the most impact on climate change if deployed in a sustainable and efficient manner. Mike Branch is the Vice President of Data and Analytics at Geotab. He talks about AI and its ability to uncover inefficiencies to help boost decarbonization.
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