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Amii welcomes over 2000 of the world’s brightest minds in AI to annual Upper Bound event

EDMONTON, Alberta, May 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Amii (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) welcomes the world AI community to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for Upper Bound, May 23–26. All are invited to attend the multi–day event, with diverse programming catered for AI researchers, industry leaders, pop culture enthusiasts and anyone who has ever been curious about artificial intelligence.

In–person and virtual tickets start at $0. Registration and schedules are available at upperbound.ai

A celebration of AI excellence in Alberta and beyond, Upper Bound will take over Edmonton with a full event schedule and more than 100 events taking place in the downtown core. Upper Bound is pleased to welcome our 2023 keynote speakers including:

  • Richard S. Sutton, trailblazing AI researcher and Amii Chief Scientific Advisor, considered by many as the pioneer of reinforcement learning | Ticket Access: Community Pass, Upper Bound Pass, Talent Bursary All Access and Online Pass
  • Cam Linke, CEO, Amii | Ticket Access: Upper Bound Pass, Talent Bursary All Access and Online Pass
  • Peter Stone, Executive Director of Sony AI America | Ticket Access: Academic Symposium and Upper Bound Pass (limited)
  • Marlos Machado, Amii Fellow & Canada CIFAR AI Chair | Ticket Access: Academic Symposium

"AI is the most important tool of our time, and it continues to dominate global conversation," says Cam Linke, CEO of Amii. "Upper Bound puts a spotlight on Alberta's AI leadership and legacy and is a celebration of AI that welcomes everybody to learn, network, discuss and join in on the conversation. This is an invitation for the world's AI community to experience the best of what Amii and Canada has to offer in scientific excellence, start–up creation and industry application "" so they can leave inspired by the connections they've made, the information learned, and their ambitious ideas realized."

Upper Bound is an AI event for everyone and includes sessions, demos, networking events and socials open for a range of ages and familiarity with AI. Scheduled events include:

  • An Academic Symposium, showcasing leading research and organized by Amii Fellows from the University of Alberta, one of the world's top academic institutions for AI research.
  • Panels on AI in industry, including discussions on innovative applications of AI in industry; the demand for AI talent; advancing cellular agriculture; ventures and start–ups; and more.
  • AI & Culture, high–energy and fun events for all AI enthusiasts.
  • Social and networking opportunities with daily coffee catch up, beers with peers and the hottest ticket in town, the official Upper Bound Party.

Last year more than 2,000 attendees from 38 countries attended the inaugural event. Amii awarded Talent Bursaries to over 500 recipients from around the world to cover travel and accommodation costs with over 69% of recipients self–identified as members of underrepresented groups in STEM.

This year, Amii has awarded over $500,000 in Talent Bursaries to support 700 recipients from 22 countries to Upper Bound in person. An additional 612 global Talent Bursary applicants received Online Pass access for live–streamed content and full immersion in the Upper Bound app.

Upper Bound is proudly presented by Amii. One of Canada's three centres of AI excellence as part of the Pan–Canadian AI strategy, Amii is an Alberta–based, non–profit institute that supports world–leading research in artificial intelligence and machine learning and translates scientific advancement into industry adoption. Learn more at amii.ca.

Media Contact

Lynda Vang, Communications Specialist

E: lynda.vang@amii.ca


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 8829558)

AI Week brings together the world AI community

EDMONTON, Alberta, April 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Amii (the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) has announced the program for AI Week, May 24–27 in Edmonton, Canada. With more than 20 events taking place across four days throughout the city, the celebration of Alberta's AI excellence will feature an academic keynote from Richard S. Sutton, leading expert in reinforcement learning, who will discuss future research directions in the field.

The jam–packed week also includes panels on AI career paths for kids, AI for competitive advantage and the ethics of AI; a career and talent mixer connecting AI career seekers with top companies; and a full–day academic symposium bringing together the brightest minds in AI. The celebrations are rounded out by a "house' party at a secret, soon–to–be–revealed location and the Amiiversary street party, marking 20 years of AI excellence in Alberta. Learn more about the program at www.ai–week.ca/program

"Over the past 20 years, Alberta has emerged as one of the world's top destinations for AI research and application," says Cam Linke, CEO of Amii. "With AI Week, we're putting a global spotlight on the province and welcoming the world's AI community to experience what many in the field have known for a long time: that Alberta is at the forefront of the AI revolution. AI Week isn't just a celebration of 20 years of AI excellence "" it's a launching point for the next 20 years of advancement."

AI Week has something for everyone "" including sessions, networking events and socials for a range of ages and familiarity with AI. Additional keynotes will be delivered by Alona Fyshe, speaking about what brains and AI can tell us about one another, and Martha White, who will present on innovative applications of reinforcement learning. A special AI in Health keynote will highlight the work of Dornoosh Zonoobi and Jacob Jaremko of Medo.ai, which uses machine learning in concert with ultrasound technology to screen infants for hip dysplasia.

Informal networking and social events will help forge connections between members of the research, industry and innovation communities "" as well as AI beginners and enthusiasts. Meanwhile, the Amiiversary street party, hosted on Rice Howard Way in Edmonton's downtown core, will mark 20 years of AI excellence in Alberta. The party will be attended by the who's–who of Edmonton AI, technology and innovation scenes.

AI Week will be attended by the world's AI community, with over 500 applicants for travel bursaries from more than 35 different countries. The successful applicants, emerging researchers and industry professionals alike, will have the opportunity to learn alongside leaders in the field at the AI Week Academic Symposium, which is being organized by Amii's Fellows from the University of Alberta, one of the world's top academic institutions for AI research. The symposium will include talks and discussions among top experts in AI and machine learning as well as demos and lab showcases from the Amii community.

"I chose to set up in Canada in 2003 because, at the time, Alberta was one of the few places investing in building a community of AI researchers," says Richard S. Sutton, Amii's Chief Scientific Advisor, who is also a Professor at the University of Alberta and a Distinguished Research Scientist at DeepMind. "Nearly twenty years later, I am struck by how much we have achieved to advance the field of AI, not only locally but globally. AI Week is an opportunity to celebrate those achievements and showcase some of the brightest minds in AI."

The event is being put on by Amii, one of Canada's AI institutes in the Pan–Canadian AI Strategy and will feature event partners and community–led events from across Canada's AI ecosystem. AI Week is made possible in part by our event partners and talent bursary sponsors: AltaML, Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation, ATB, Attabotics, BDC, CBRE, CIFAR, DeepMind, DrugBank, Explore Edmonton, NeuroSoph, RBC Royal Bank, Samdesk, TELUS and the University of Alberta.

About Amii

One of Canada's three centres of AI excellence as part of the Pan–Canadian AI Strategy, Amii (the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) is an Alberta–based non–profit institute that supports world–leading research in artificial intelligence and machine learning and translates scientific advancement into industry adoption. Amii grows AI capabilities through advancing leading–edge research, delivering exceptional educational offerings and providing business advice "" all with the goal of building in–house AI capabilities. For more information, visit amii.ca.

Spencer Murray
Communications & Public Relations
t: 587.415.6100 ext. 109 | c: 780.991.7136
spencer.murray@amii.ca


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 8522787)

Amii invites the world to AI Week with $100,000 in travel bursaries

EDMONTON, Alberta, Feb. 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In anticipation of AI Week, May 24 – 27, 2022, the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) announced the first $100,000 in travel bursaries for emerging researchers and applied artificial intelligence (AI) professionals globally. The Global Talent Bursary program will facilitate upwards of 500 guests to attend AI Week in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. For more information and to apply, head over to www.ai–week.ca/talent–bursaries.

"As we prepare to celebrate 20 years of AI research excellence, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to invite the world to AI Week. The Global Talent Bursary program makes it financially viable for more of our peers, alumni and collaborators to come to the conference. It also provides amazing access to our rich community to plan future endeavours. I hope you'll apply and come to AI Week to find your next role, learn more about a dynamic research domain, and find collaborators for startup ventures," says Cam Linke, CEO of Amii.

Global Talent Bursary recipients receive exclusive access to events at AI Week including an Academic Symposium featuring content from Amii's deep well of world–leading researchers, a VIP Career Mixer and more. In addition, Amii is pleased to offer Global Talent Bursaries for individuals from groups who are typically underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields, recent immigrants to Canada and individuals from rural communities. Applications are completed on the basis of self–identification.

Recipients will also enjoy access to a special AI Week lecture from Richard S. Sutton, Chief Scientific Advisor, Fellow and Canada CIFAR AI Chair at Amii. One of the world–leaders in the field of reinforcement learning, Dr. Sutton is a Distinguished Research Scientist at DeepMind and one of the world's foremost thinkers about AI, the mind and what it means to be intelligent.

"I invite you to join us for four days of workshops, social events, educational events "" experts and students, meeting each other and seeing the Edmonton ecosystem. We have travel bursaries available for early–career researchers of all types, and we're excited to meet people and learn a little bit about AI together," says Sutton.

The inaugural AI Week presented by Amii is a four–day celebration of Alberta's 20–year history of excellence in AI and machine learning. The event will run from May 24–27, 2022 in Edmonton with a mix of in–person, hybrid and digital first offerings. With programming for all audiences, the event marks Amii's 5th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Amii research centre at the University of Alberta. For updates and announcements, join the AI Week Insiders List at www.ai–week.ca.

The celebration will feature a variety of events and programming focused around AI and machine learning. Audiences of all ages will have an opportunity to connect with AI leaders in research and industry, explore the promise and possibilities of the technology and immerse themselves in the science of AI and machine learning. With something for experts and beginners alike, events and activations include:

  • Keynotes, presentations and informal talks for a range of knowledge levels
  • Academic symposium highlighting Alberta's AI research excellence
  • AI talent mixer connecting job seekers with potential employers
  • K–12 sessions exploring future careers in AI
  • Community events series organized by partner organizations
  • Socials, mixers, networking events, and more

AI Week presented by Amii will take place from May 24 to 27, 2022 at a range of venues across Edmonton. This year will mark the inaugural year of what will become an annual celebration of Alberta's AI community. Stay up–to–date on announcements and programming by joining the AI Week Insiders List at www.ai–week.ca.

About Amii

One of Canada's three centres of AI excellence as part of the Pan–Canadian AI Strategy, Amii (the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) is an Alberta–based non–profit institute that supports world–leading research in artificial intelligence and machine learning and translates scientific advancement into industry adoption. Amii grows AI capabilities through advancing leading–edge research, delivering exceptional educational offerings and providing business advice "" all with the goal of building in–house AI capabilities. For more information, visit amii.ca.

Spencer Murray
Communications & Public Relations
t: 587.415.6100 ext. 109 | c: 780.991.7136
spencer.murray@amii.ca


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 8477074)