Grant: Collaborative Research and Training Experience

Artificial intelligence (AI) is ushering in what has been called the Second Machine Age or AI Era. It offers great promise to help us understand complex systems such as the world's climate or the human brain, but at the same time has the potential to shape society and our safety. Understanding and guiding the forces of AI at this juncture is essential to transition to a new balance that benefits humanity. Ethics, equity, diversity and inclusion must inform this endeavour. In research-level Machine Learning (ML), the field that supplies the driving algorithmic advances in AI, there is currently a dramatic lack of diversity and of women in particular. Also, most SMEs report serious challenges to develop AI tools that add to the value of their activities, because of the shortage of suitably skilled personnel. INTER-MATH-AI targets these gaps in the specific high-growth sector of advanced technology and science SMEs. The core activities in this sector are already highly technical and stand to benefit greatly from methods that combine applied math with machine learning. INTER-MATH-AI provides students with a unified training platform that starts with specialized training in Math and ML, and has students create original Math-AI solutions to real-world challenges, thus helping to bring industrial Math into the AI Era. The program involves strong nurturing of creativity and collaboration skills, keen awareness of ethics and social impact, as well as extensive connections with industry and government partners. Our team includes 11 leading scientists from 4 of Canada's research-intensive Universities, the AI hubs of MILA and Vector, the UOttawa Centre for Law, Technology and Society - a global leader in technology law, ethics and policy, as well as CARE-AI - the pioneering Centre for Responsible and Ethical AI at Guelph. Our recruiting aims to bring a diverse and gender-balanced pool of trainees into AI, and bring together trainees who are passionate about both Math and AI to give them extensive collaborative experiences with each other and with a large network of potential employers. Our graduates will be in high demand by SMEs in advanced technology and science, helping them to become the AI innovators of tomorrow in their fields.