DC’s AI Hub recognized with Tech-Access Canada’s Tri-Pillar Excellence Award Posted on November 14, 2024 at 10:27 am. Durham College’s (DC) AI Hub has been awarded the Tri-Pillar Excellence Award for its ongoing work to help businesses conduct research and development, adopt new technology and education and training. The award comes from the national non-profit Tech-Access Canada, which supports a network of Technology Access Centres (TAC) across the country, including the AI Hub, which became a TAC in 2023. Natalie Arthurs, Senior Manager of the AI Hub, says that the award was especially meaningful because it recognizes that her team is meeting multiple needs in an evolving field. “As a fairly new TAC, this award reflects that we’ve made considerable progress in the three key areas of research, training and technology,” she said. “We have done a really good job of looking systematically across this moment in time in AI at how to put the right tools in the right place to overcome barriers to AI in a holistic way.” Key initiatives from the AI Hub include the development and launch of the AI Guide ethics training program to help non-technical professionals gain an in-depth knowledge of AI governance and regulations. The Hub also offers a webinar and workshop series to help small- and medium-sized businesses learn about ways they can use AI in their organizations. The Hub’s AI Strategic Roadmap service helps companies to test the feasibility of an AI tool before fully committing to a larger investment. The AI Hub has also positioned itself as a thought leader in the community, hosting a flagship annual AI in Action event in February, which attracted more than 180 participants in 2024. In addition to partnering with local organizations including the Whitby Chamber of Commerce, Invest Durham and the Spark Centre, and Angel Investors of Durham, the AI Hub also engaged with more than 60 companies in various industries over the last year, including health care, finance and marketing among others. For Arthurs and her team, the AI Hub’s focus is always on practical solutions and meeting the needs of industry and the community. “When we set out to research something, it’s specifically solving a problem that industry has brought to us,” she said. “We looked across the board and asked: What are key barriers companies are facing? Why are companies struggling to integrate AI into their businesses? And then we developed programming specifically around that.” She points to the AI Guide as an example to emerge from the realization that a possible barrier to AI adoption was concern over emerging regulations. Given the ecosystem that the AI Hub has created, Arthurs says she was thrilled to share the news of the win with her team. “The best part was we had an event here at DC the day that we got home from the conference where the award was presented. Being able to share it with the team was the most rewarding part, because this award is really about diversity and diversity of services, and that diversity is reflected in our team and their strengths and their dedication.” The AI Hub serves as a strategic advisor to help companies assess the value of AI. They currently have more than 30 research and development projects underway, serving partners in every province and in sectors from energy to consulting to health to marketing. Companies are encouraged to reach out to the AI Hub with an AI problem and request a consultation. Overcome the fear of messing up: Durham College AI Hub course for executives helps address barriers to businesses adopting AI Posted on September 25, 2024 at 11:53 am. When it comes to adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI), businesses have two fears: missing out and messing up. To tackle that second fear—messing up— and ensure that businesses don’t miss out on the transformative power of AI, Durham College’s AI Hub has partnered with the Council of Canadian Innovators to launch the AI Guide Program. The innovative program is a six-week intensive executive development program for non-technical professionals in Canada’s business and innovation sectors, including leaders in HR, sales, operations and public affairs. “One of the things that was coming up again and again with companies and individuals was this trepidation around adopting AI in a responsible way,” explains AI Hub Senior Manager Natalie Arthurs. “These sticky issues of governance, responsible AI ethics, how data is being used, those are the issues that a lot of non-technical leaders and executives grapple with and it’s creating an impediment to moving forward with AI.” Dr. Priyamvada Tripathi, a DC faculty member who teaches AI and data analytics, is the lead instructor for the program. She explains the 90-minute online sessions will feature a series of industry guest speakers who will bring practical scenarios to the table. “We’re getting real-world perspectives and the guest speakers have the experience of how AI is being implemented, what are the road blocks to adoption and how to balance all the concerns about AI with innovation,” said Tripathi. That means the course will focus on practicalities and business concerns like key performance indicators and value generation. “How do you balance all that, how do you remain ethical while not losing out on the race to adopt AI,” she said. “Especially for us Canadians, how do we stay competitive while maintaining our core values?” The program targets non-technical leaders because in many cases they are the people making overarching decisions for businesses. “We’re helping address the fear of messing up component here by giving people that literacy, by giving them hands-on, real-world case studies and session leaders who have been there, done that,” Arthurs adds. The AI Guide Program runs between October 23 and November 27. Registration closes October 13.
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