Artificial Intelligence

University of Toronto Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

Undergraduate Students

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Diana Virgovicova and Kerem Topal Ismail Oglou (supplied image)

Xatoms, a startup co-founded by University of Toronto students Diana Virgovicova and Kerem Topal Ismail Oglou, has been recognized with three prizes at Startupfest 2024.

The company, which uses quantum chemistry and AI to discover molecules that can efficiently purify water, took home the $100,000 Best of the Fest, $100,000 Women in Tech Investment and $50,000 Front Row Ventures Student Entrepreneur prizes. Those prizes will be matched by the Business Development Bank of Canada, bringing Xatoms’s total winnings at Startupfest to $500,000.

Additionally, Xatoms has also been selected among the top 14 out of 9,400 teams for the prestigious Hult Prize, and will compete for the $1-million grand prize in September.

The startup evolved out of a discovery that Virgovicova, its CEO, made at age 17 when she used quantum chemistry software to model a photocatalyst molecule that can eliminate pollutants from water when exposed to sunlight.

Xatoms, which was part of The Bridge accelerator program at ��οScarborough and is now part of the SpinUp wet lab incubator at ��οMississauga, builds on that discovery by incorporating AI and machine learning to discover more – and more efficient – materials and molecules.

Nicolas Papernot receives AI2050 Early Career Fellowship from Schmidt Sciences

rahul.kalvapalle — Mon, 13 May 2024 14:24:47 +0000

Nicolas Papernot receives AI2050 Early Career Fellowship from Schmidt Sciences

rahul.kalvapalle Mon, 05/13/2024 - 10:24

Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Law

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Nicholas Papernot (photo by Matthew Tierney)

Nicolas Papernot, an assistant professor in the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, has been named an AI2050 Early Career Fellow.

Awarded by Schmidt Sciences, the fellowship encourages young researchers to pursue bold and multidisciplinary research in AI for societal benefit.

Papernot was recognized for his project on a technical framework for future AI regulation, which builds on multidisciplinary collaboration with Professor Lisa Austin from U of T’s Faculty of Law and Professor Xiao Wang of Northwestern University’s department of computer science.

The team is exploring how a protocol borrowed from cryptography, called zero-knowledge proof (ZKP), can verify whether an AI model was developed in compliance with certain rules. Their research comes as governments around the world prepare legislation to address the growing power of AI.

“The scope of what we’re trying to achieve is very ambitious,” says Papernot, who is cross-appointed to the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science and is a faculty member at the Vector Institute and a faculty affiliate at the Schwartz Reisman Institute. “We’re asking how AI will impact society, essentially. It’s hard to do that from just one discipline’s perspective. Thankfully, the Schmidt Sciences organization has stepped up to provide the space needed for such highly exploratory and complex research.”

“As AI technology continues to evolve, it is imperative to simultaneously advance the regulatory and technological frameworks that ensure its safe and ethical use,” says Professor Deepa Kundur, chair of the department of electrical and computer engineering. “Professor Papernot’s work is pivotal because it not only mitigates risks, but also maximizes the technology’s application potential, making it a cornerstone for future innovations.”

Read the ��οEngineering story

Engineering

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Abdi Aidid and Benjamin Alarie recognized by Association of American Publishers

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 12:23:32 +0000

Abdi Aidid and Benjamin Alarie recognized by Association of American Publishers

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 03/26/2024 - 08:23

Faculty of Law

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Abdi Aidid and Benjamin Alarie (supplied images)

Abdi Aidid, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Law and Benjamin Alarie, a professor and Osler Chair in Business Law, have received an Association of American Publishers (AAP) PROSE Award for their book, The Legal Singularity: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Law Radically Better.

The AAP’s jury of publishing professionals and librarians recognize authors, editors and publishers whose works have made significant strides in advancing their respective fields of study. Aidid and Alarie were recognized in the category of legal studies and criminology for their book, which was published in 2023 by University of Toronto Press.

In it, the authors argue that the proliferation of AI-enabled technology – specifically, the advent of legal prediction – will radically change the law and legal profession, facilitating a ‘completeness’ of law that is clearer and fairer.

Alarie co-founded a legal tech startup, Blue J Legal, in 2015. The company’s software draws on AI to provide instant and comprehensive answers in complex areas of tax, labour and employment law. Aidid previously served as Blue J Legal’s vice-president, legal research prior to joining ��οfull-time in 2021.

Read about their book on ��οNews

Law

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Geoffrey Hinton named Fellow of Association for Computing Machinery

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 16:58:23 +0000

Geoffrey Hinton named Fellow of Association for Computing Machinery

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 01/26/2024 - 11:58

Department of Computer Science

University Professor

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University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton (photo by Lisa Lightbourn)

Geoffrey Hinton, University Professor Emeritus of computer science who is often dubbed the “godfather of AI,” has been named a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

The ACM Fellows program recognizes the top one per cent of ACM Members and celebrates exceptional contributions to computing science and technology. Hinton is among 68 inductees for 2023 who have been honoured for their transformative work.

Hinton was recognized “for conceptual and engineering breakthroughs that have made deep neural networks a critical component of computing.”

His groundbreaking research lies in deep learning and artificial neural networks — a field of artificial intelligence that mimics the way humans acquire certain types of knowledge.

Hinton adds the ACM Fellow recognition to a list of accolades that includes an election to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a Royal Medal from the Royal Society, Companion of the Order of Canada, Fellow of the Royal Societies of Canada and London and the ACM’s A.M. Turing Award, widely considered to be the Nobel Prize of computing.

Read the full announcement from the ACM

Computer Science

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Charlene Chu receives AGE-WELL Early Career Researcher Award

siddiq22 — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 13:10:14 +0000

Charlene Chu receives AGE-WELL Early Career Researcher Award

siddiq22 Fri, 07/07/2023 - 09:10

Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

Toronto Rehabilitation Institute

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Charlene Chu (supplied image)

Charlene Chu, an assistant professor in the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, is the recipient of an EPIC-AT Early Career Researcher Award in Patient-Oriented Research from national technology and aging network AGE-WELL.

Chu, known for her expertise in co-designing solutions for the care of older adults, is being recognized for her latest research project, which aims to refine an artificial-intelligence-based sensor system to improve hip-fracture recovery in older adults.

“I’m delighted to receive this award from AGE-WELL,” Chu says. “Their mission and vision align with my own values in utilizing technology to improve the lives and well-being of older adults and include them in solutions for their care.”

The EPIC-AT (Early Professionals, Inspired Careers in AgeTech) awards are part of a national training program preparing graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and early-career researchers such as Chu to be leaders in finding digital health solutions for older adults.

For her current project, Chu – along with her co-principal investigator Shehroz Khan, a fellow scientist at the KITE-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and an assistant professor (status) at U of T's Institute of Biomedical Engineering – will use AI technology to collect data on older adults’ physical activity, mobility and overall well-being following hip-fracture surgery.

Read the story at Bloomberg Nursing

Nursing

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Geoffrey Hinton wins 2019 Honda Prize

s.anderson — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 15:19:13 +0000

Geoffrey Hinton wins 2019 Honda Prize

s.anderson Fri, 09/20/2019 - 11:19

Faculty of Arts & Science