Oshawa, Ontario — Today, Ontario Tech University brought together more than 200 leaders from academia, business, public policy, and the next generation of skilled workers for its first-ever AI Forum, where speakers focused on the issues that will shape Canada’s future: how to build artificial intelligence (AI) systems that people can trust.
Held under the theme of Building trust: The strategic benefits of human-centered AIthe Forum positioned Ontario Technological University as a leading academic voice in the national conversation about AI. The event examined how organizations can use AI to improve productivity, support growth, and strengthen communities while keeping talent, accountability, and public trust at the center of the conversation.
“As Canada’s AI challenges continue to evolve, universities have an important role to play in advancing these conversations,” said Dr. Stephen Murphy, President and Vice-Chancellor of Ontario Technological University. “This forum marked the first of many critically important intergenerational conversations that will shape our society, our economy, and our world.”
This forum reflects Ontario Technological University’s broad leadership in the field of AI. The university recently launched the Department of AI and the Mindful Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (MAIRI) to advance talent development and research in this rapidly evolving field. The School of AI prepares students through interdisciplinary programs that build the knowledge and perspectives needed to design and apply AI. Meanwhile, MAIRI brings together more than 50 researchers and partners across academia, industry, and the community to explore the real-world applications and impact of AI. Ontario Institute of Technology is also piloting an in-house AI learning agent in undergraduate and graduate courses, with a focus on trust, accountability, and academic integrity.
Speakers and panelists considered how Canada can move from broad discussions about the potential of AI to practical action on governance, ethics, and implementation. Throughout the event, they returned to a common message. Rather than slowing down innovation, trust enabled it.
Keynote speech by Dr. Hossein Rahnama, Perspective-aware AI and the rise of human AI agentswe explored how AI can collaborate with humans by understanding the human perspective and augmenting human capabilities rather than replacing them. This people-first approach continued through forum discussions on Trustworthy AI, Education and AI across Canada’s critical energy sectors, where speakers considered governance guardrails, workforce readiness, sustainability, and the infrastructure demands created by AI systems that require significant computing power.
The keynote address by Dr. Peter Lewis, Canada Research Chair in Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence and Director of MAIRI, reinforced the forum’s central discussion by challenging the audience to think more carefully about what it means to trust AI and how that trust should shape the systems currently being designed and deployed.
By bringing together diverse perspectives across disciplines, the forum demonstrated that AI is as much a human issue as it is a technology issue, raising important questions for leadership, values, and public trust. The AI Forum reflects the broader role of universities as connectors and catalysts, bridging research, policy and practice so that AI is developed and deployed in ways that benefit society.
As AI continues to evolve, Ontario Tech remains committed to ensuring innovation is driven by a human-centered approach: what is possible and what is responsible.
Ontario Institute of Technology is Canada’s leader in responsible AI innovation. Learn more here ontariotechu.ca/ai.
Media contact:
Patricia Pickett
communication specialist
Ontario Institute of Technology
news@ontariotechu.ca
905.809.1675
