I’m back after another successful ALL IN in Montréal. In three short years, the event has grown to easily become one of Canada’s largest AI conferences, and a major driver of national news.
“I think—and I hope I’m right—that we can build the next OpenAI, or Anthropic, or world model here in Canada.”
The energy was palpable to our guest this week, Mila’s Alex Shee. Now the entrepreneur-in-residence at one of Canada’s three major AI institutes, Shee first made an appearance on this podcast a full decade ago while as an analyst for Real Ventures. She is now leveraging his experience in VC to help run Mila’s Venture Scientist Fund—a joint venture with iNovia Capital.
On this week’s episode, Shee doesn’t share much info about the status of the new fund, but he does explain the cultural shift from academic institutions toward supporting the entrepreneurial journeys of locally trained AI scientists that he feels could help create a “generational opportunity” for Canada.
Given the current state of leadership within the global AI giants, AI safety is also part of the conversation. It’s worth noting that Mila was founded by Yoshua Bengio, so it’s no surprise how Shee feels about the need for responsible AI development and Canada’s opportunity to lead by example.
But that doesn’t exactly explain how the shift from academia to entrepreneurship will keep more AI talent in Canada. So let’s dig in.
PRESENTED BY
The BetaKit Podcast is presented by BetaKit Most Ambitious.
Amid global uncertainty, the path forward is clear: Canada’s moment to build is now.
Presented by Uber Canada, DMZ, and National Bank of Canada, BetaKit Most Ambitious is back, telling stories of nearly 100 Canadian innovators strengthening our nation’s autonomy, security, and prosperity.
Read BetaKit Most Ambitious now.
Recorded and edited by Toronto Podcasts.