Apr. 19, 2018 - The University of Waterloo has launched the Waterloo Artificial Intelligence Institute this month, bringing together researchers and businesses in an effort to prepare Canada for future economic and advanced technology disruption. The university describes Waterloo AI as focusing on end-to-end innovation ranging from foundational to operational AI. "Foundational AI advances the field as a whole through research in a number of areas, including statistical learning, deep learning, game theory and data science. Operational AI develops scalable, secure and transparent solutions for a wide range of applications," it says. As part of its mandate, Waterloo AI will pursue new areas of research with societal and business impact including manufacturing, autonomous systems, human-machine interaction, healthcare and more, and will emphasize "timely access to expertise to individuals and industry." "The launch of Waterloo AI enhances Canada's leadership in foundational and operational AI as it brings together world renowned researchers with industry to accelerate innovation and prepare for future disruptions," said Feridun Hamdullahpur, university president and vice-chancellor.

The University of Waterloo has launched the Waterloo Artificial Intelligence Institute today. The AI Institute will focus on foundational AI -- which includes research in statistical learning, deep learning, game theory, and data science that advances the entire industry -- and operational AI, which develops scalable, secure, and transparent solutions for a wide range of applications. "The launch of Waterloo AI enhances Canada's leadership in foundational and operational AI as it brings together world-renowned researchers with industry to accelerate innovation and prepare for future disruptions," said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor at Waterloo. "By connecting research talent with industry expertise, Waterloo AI will identify problems and produce solutions that will actively benefit our society." Waterloo AI will pursue new areas of research with societal and business impact, including healthcare, environmental protection, urban planning, manufacturing, autonomous systems, and human-machine interaction, and will emphasize timely access to expertise to individuals and industry.

Following in the footsteps of the University of Toronto and the University of Alberta, the University of Waterloo has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) research institute of its own. Officially opened on April 6, 2018, the Waterloo Artificial Intelligence Institute will have a broad mandate, including foundational research into statistical learning, deep learning, game theory, and data science; and operational research into secure, scalable solutions for a variety of industries including healthcare, environmental protection, urban planning, manufacturing, autonomous systems and human-machine interaction. Led by co-directors Fakhri Karray, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Peter van Beek, a professor of computer science, and sponsored by multiple high-profile companies including General Motors Canada, Huawei Technologies, Loblaw Companies Ltd., Shopify, and Magna International, the Institute aims to give researchers easy access to both experts and industry, whether for solutions development or what its founders called a "reverse co-op" program. "We would like the Waterloo AI Instititute to be the bridge between the partner companies and the University of Waterloo," Karray said in a video posted Friday. "They could channel to us some challenging problems, and faculty members, students, work on those problems, they cooperate with each other to solve these types of problems, and benefit the society at large."