Edmonton’s AccelerateAB announced that AI pioneer Richard Sutton will be its closing keynote speaker.
Sutton is a distinguished research scientist with DeepMind, a professor of computer science at the University of Alberta’s AMII, and the Chair of iCORE. He is also leading RBC’s AI lab at the University of Alberta.
Alternating between Edmonton and Calgary and led by the A100, AccelerateAB is the province’s annual flagship event connecting leaders, investors, and members of the startup community. This year’s event takes place in Edmonton on April 24.
“As an industry, it’s important for us to showcase that there is an active sector that has been quietly thriving in this province for some time,” said Cynthia van Sundert, executive director of The A100. “The fact that we have AI industry rockstars like Dr. Sutton in our backyard is a perfect example of why AccelerateAB is a significant industry event – we can shine a spotlight on these innovators.”
Sutton will talk about some of the significant advancements and recent innovations happening in the sector.
“AI is important in business and technology because of its usefulness as a tool that can enhance human abilities and make us more effective at what we do. It’s very human-centric in that way,” said Sutton. “Furthermore, the province has invested more than $40 million into AI research and training, which has built a critical mass of expertise at the University of Alberta over the past 15 years. In that same time, we’ve seen Edmonton’s startup community blossom. There’s a critical mass building in Alberta, and AI is at the forefront.”
AccelerateAB will kick off with the Startup Advising Sessions on April 23, allowing companies that have demonstrated traction to connect with experienced entrepreneurs.
Tickets are available on the official website here.