Strategy for the Development of Quebec’s Artificial ... · The MESI tasked the Artificial Intelligence Cluster Steering Committee with four missions: 1. Ensure the launch of the

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Strategy for the Development of

Quebec’s Artif icial Intel l igence

Ecosystem

Artificial Intelligence Cluster Steering Committee

A mandate from

May 2018

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Université de Montréal’s role

InMarch2017,theQuebecgovernmentmandatedtheUniversitédeMontréaltosetupaSteeringCommitteetodevelopthestrategyforthedevelopmentofQuebec’sartificialintelligenceindustrialandscientificcluster.ThisCommitteewastosubmititsrecommendationsonthedevelopmentofthecluster'sresourcesregardingtheattractionofinternationalexperts,theavailabilityofcomputingresources,theconditionsmostfavourableforindustrialcollaborationsandthehiving-offofcompanies,aswellashumanresourcetraininganddevelopment.Inadditiontodevelopingastrategicdevelopmentplan,theCommitteewastoliaisewithrelevantfederalgovernmentbodies,theCanadianInstituteforAdvancedResearch(CIFAR)andtheCanadaFirstResearchExcellenceFundandencouragefutureprivateandpublicinvestments.

TheUniversitédeMontréalwasalsomandatedtosetupaQuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstituteasaseparatenon-profitentity.Moreover,thisInstituteshouldbeabletofosterthepartnershipsneededtofunditsactivities,whileaddressingtheeconomicissuesandsocialtransformationsresultingfromtheAI-drivendigitalrevolution.

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Co-Chairs’ message

TheArtificialIntelligenceClusterSteeringCommittee(hereinafter,theSteeringCommittee)wasconstitutedinMay2017andhasasitsmandatetopositionQuebecasaleadingplayerinartificialintelligence(AI),throughresearchandinnovation,businesscreationorapplicationdeploymentwithinitsindustrialstructure.Oneyearlater,inthewakeofaseriesofimpactfulevents,theCommitteeandits12memberspresentthefruitoftheirreflections,researchandanalysisinthisStrategyfortheDevelopmentofQuebec’sArtificialIntelligenceEcosystem.

Inthepastfewyears,Quebechasexperiencedahistoricboominartificialintelligence,thankstotheexcellenceofacademicresearchinthefieldthathasledtothearrivalonthesceneoftechnologygiants,therapidproliferationofQuebecstart-upsandtheestablishmentofrenownedresearchinstitutes.Quebeccannowrelyonitsstrengthstodrivethedevelopmentandgrowthofarichanddynamicartificialintelligenceecosystemthatwillbetheenvyofitsinternationalpeers.Whilethisstrategydoesnotpresumetosolveallthepresentorfuturechallengesecosystemstakeholderswillface,weareconvincedthatitwillhelpthegovernmentshapeaprosperousfutureforQuebecinartificialintelligence.

Twelverecommendationsthatfallintofivestrategicapproacheslieatthecoreofthisstrategy.ThesearetoensurethegrowthandsustainabilityofQuebec’sartificialintelligence(AI)academicresearchcluster,developdigitalsciencetalenttomeetQuebec'sneeds,acceleratetheadoptionanddevelopmentofAIsolutionsbytheentireeconomicfabricofQuebec,developaninternationalresponsibleAIhubinQuebecand,finally,supportthedevelopmentofecosystemsupportstructures.

WewouldliketoextendoursincerethankstotheSteeringCommitteemembersandobserversfortheirdedication,andalsothankalltheadvisors,staffandexpertsweconsultedwhohavegenerouslyagreedtoparticipateinthisexercise.TheSteeringCommitteeanditsmemberswillnowturntheirattentiontotheimplementationoftherecommendations,astheyareconfidentthattherecommendationswillenableQuebectobecomeaworldleaderinartificialintelligence.

Wealsowishtoacknowledgethestrongvisionthegovernmenthaswiselyoutlinedforthisforward-lookingsectorandfeelcertainthat,thankstocontinuedandtargetedgovernmentsupport,thebestoutcomeforthebenefitofthegreatestnumberisassured.

PierreBoivin GuyBreton

May2018

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Table of contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................5

Recommendations........................................................................................................................21

! Recommendation1:IncreaseourabilitytoattractresearchersinareaswhereQuebechasthepotentialtobecomeaworldleader...............................................................................................24

! Recommendation2:Ensuretheinflow–inquantityandquality–oflocalandforeigngraduatestudentsinAIandAI-relatedfields.................................................................................................29

! Recommendation3:Developandmaintainthrougha“talentwatch”aclearandcomprehensiveperspectiveonneeds,gapsandopportunitiesregardingdigitalscienceskills..............................33

! Recommendation4:Supporteducationalinstitutionsinupdatingtheirtrainingoffering............37

! Recommendation5:Promotemathematicalliteracyandthedemocratizationofscience...........38

! Recommendation6:SupportQuebecbusinessesthatdesignAIsolutions,includingstart-ups,sotheycandevelop,growandremaininQuebec..............................................................................42

! Recommendation7:EnsurefutureprivatesectorAIusersreceiveadequatesupport..................49

! Recommendation8:PositiongovernmentandCrowncorporationsmodelusersthatbenefitfromAItechnology..................................................................................................................................55

! Recommendation9:EnsurethesustainabilityofongoingresponsibleAImobilizationeffortsandpreparetointegrateemergingconsensusesintoQuebecpublicpolicy........................................58

! Recommendation10:EnsureaccesstocomputingpowerandcomputationalexpertiseforAIanddatasciencestakeholders...............................................................................................................64

! Recommendation11:CreateapermanentAI.QuebecplatformwithitsownadministrativestructuretoplayamonitoringroleandfacilitatecoordinationbetweenQuebecAIecosystemstakeholders...................................................................................................................................66

! Recommendation12:FacilitateaccesstoinformationonavailableresourcesforAIecosystemstakeholdersandpromoteconnectionsbetweenthemthroughacommonshowcase................68

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................70

Appendices ................................................................................................................................76

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Introduction

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Foreword 1. Steering Committee mandate

Forsomeyears,Canada,andmoreparticularlyQuebec,hasexperiencedanever-before-seeneffervescenceintheartificialintelligence(AI)sector.AsshowninFigure1,technologygiantslikeGoogleandFacebookhaveopenedAIlabsinMontreal,start-upslikeElementAIhaveraisedimpressiveamountsofprivatefundingandresearchinstituteshaveralliedaroundQuebec’shistoricalstrengths.

Thecurrentgeneralizedeffervescenceisrootedintheuniversityenvironment,aspherewhereQuebecstandsoutontheworldstage.ItisalsodueinparttothesupporttheCanadianInstituteforAdvancedResearch(CIFAR)providedin2004forYoshuaBengio'screationoftheMachineLearningProgram.1AsanotherproofoftheexcellenceofQuebec'sendeavoursinAI,thefederalgovernmentawardeda$93.6MCanadaFirstfederalgranttotheInstituteforDataValorization(IVADO)–agroupof1,000datascience,operationalresearchandartificialintelligencescientists–inthefallof2016.

TheQuebecuniversitymilieu,fromFrance’sperspectiveCédricVillani’srecentreporttotheFrenchgovernmentstatesthatQuebeccurrently“has,withtheCityofMontreal,thelargestconcentrationofAIresearchers—250doctoralresearchersatMcGillandtheUniversitédeMontréal—whoalsobenefitfromalargecohortofroughly9,000AIstudentsincomputerscience(6194),computerscienceandcomputerengineering(1149),mathematics(1360),appliedmathematics(113)andprobabilitiesandstatistics(141)programs.”2

InMarch2017,theministèredel’Économie,delaScienceetdel’Innovation(MESI)choosetosupporttheaccelerationandoptimizationofdevelopmentofQuebec’sAIecosystemwithatotalof$100Moverafive-yearperiod.Atthesametime,itgavetheUniversitédeMontréalthemandatetoformaSteeringCommitteetoidentifythemeasuresneededtoleveragethismajorinvestmenttostrengthenthecompetitiveadvantageinAIQuebechasgainedthankstotheuniversitysector.

TheMESItaskedtheArtificialIntelligenceClusterSteeringCommitteewithfourmissions: 1. EnsurethelaunchoftheQuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstitute.2. DevelopastrategicplanforthecreationoftheAIclusterby2018-2022.3. Studytheethical,economicandsocialimpactsofAI.4. Takealeadershiproleindefiningapan-CanadianAIstrategy.

InSeptember2017,theConseilconsultatifsurl’économieetl’innovation(CCEI)haspraisedtheQuebecgovernment'sfocusedambitiontoseeAIbecomearealdriverofQuebec'seconomy.Initsreport,the

1CIFARalsospearheadedCanadianandglobalAIresearchbysupportingtheworkofGeoffreyE.Hinton,ProfessorofComputerScienceattheUniversityofToronto,inthe1980s.2Seehttps://www.tresor.economie.gouv.fr/Articles/28619068-9771-411c-9a43-20fdaeb0adc8/files/5a885cf0-0af1-4243-be03-8857b5319fae,webpagevisitedonApril30,2018(aswereallthepagesreferencedinthisdocument).

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CCEIurgedthegovernmentandecosystemstakeholderstopushevenfurtherto“createthelargestartificialintelligenceecosysteminNorthAmericainQuebecanddevelopaworkforceinthisareasothatthisnichetakesrootandpositionsQuebecasoneoftheleadingdesigners,usersandexportersofartificialintelligencesolutions.”(translatedfromtheFrenchoriginal)3

3Seehttp://www.ccei.quebec/fr/rapport-integrateur.

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Figure1–ChronologyofQuebecAIecosystemstructuringevents

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Moreofanecosystemthanacluster…Theterm“cluster”hasoftenbeenusedtodescribetheAIecosystemdevelopinginQuebec.Toavoidanyconfusionwithindustryclusters–whicharesectorspecific(e.g.,AéroMontrealfortheaerospacesector)–werecommendusingtheexpression“AIecosystem.”Indeed,AIwillbeusedinallindustrialsectorsandbecomeaubiquitoustechnology.Asaresult,closecollaborationbetweenexistingQuebecindustrialclustersandtheAIecosystemisadvocated.

2. Last year’s achievements

ThisreportistheSteeringCommittee’sresponsetothesecondofthefourrequeststheMESImadeinspring2017.

BeforepresentingtheQuebecAIecosystem’sdevelopmentstrategy,itisimportanttomentionhowtheSteeringCommitteeaddressedtheMESI’sthreeotherrequests.

Initially,theSteeringCommitteewastaskedwithensuringthelaunchoftheQuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstitute.Thecreationofthisentityprogressedapace,and,inJuly2017,theMILA–QuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstitutewassetupasanot-for-profitorganization(NPO).ThisinstituteistheresultofacollaborationbetweentheUniversitédeMontréalandMcGillUniversityandalsohasclosetieswithPolytechniqueMontréalandHECMontréal.WorktosecurepropergovernancefortheInstituteisunderway,anditsboardofdirectorsshouldbefullyconstitutedshortly.AlthoughitisnowanNPO,theMILA–QuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstituteintendstohonouritscommitmentstoIVADOandtheCanadaFirstResearchExcellenceFund.

Theorganization’smissionextendsbeyonditsuniversityvocationandincludesthefollowingelements:

a. Training–Incollaborationwithuniversitiesandassociatededucationalinstitutions,train,attractandretainmachinelearningtalent.

b. Academicresearch–Incollaborationwithuniversitiesandassociatededucationalinstitutions,contributetobasicresearchbybuildingonitsstrengthsindeeplearningandreinforcementlearning.

c. Technologytransfer–ContributetotheeconomicdevelopmentofQuebecthroughtechnologytransferandbusinessinnovation.

d. Socialdialogue–Promotetheresponsibleuseofartificialintelligenceaswellassocialdialogueregardingissuesrelatedtoit.

TheMILA–QuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstitutewillalsobeoneofthemainattractionsofthenewinnovationhubintheprocessofbeingsetupinoneofMontreal’semergingneighbourhoods.Thespaceinquestionislocatedinacomplexcalled“OMile-Ex”at6650-6666St-UrbainStreetandwillbehometoresearchersfromvarioussectors,IVADO,companylaboratories,start-upsandventurecapitalinvestors.Itwillbringtogethervariousstakeholdersinasingleplace,whichisacrucialstepincreatingatrueinnovationecosystemontheground.Theproximityofthedifferentstakeholderswillcreateanenvironmentconducivetocollaboration,innovationandtechnologytransfer.ManyAIecosystemstakeholdershavealreadyconfirmedtheirpresenceeitherintheneighborhoodorinthecomplexitself,

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orexpressedtheirinterestinsettingupshopthere,includingElementAI,QuantumBlack,ThalesandtheRBCInstituteforResearch,BorealisAI.

TheSteeringCommitteewasmandatedtostudytheethical,economicandsocialimpactofAI.ItshouldbenotedthatQuebechasalreadypositioneditselfasanactiveplayerinthedesignanduseofresponsibleAI.TheMontrealDeclarationforaResponsibleDevelopmentofArtificialIntelligenceco-developmentprocesswaslaunchedonNovember3,2017atthe“ForumAIresponsable”heldatthePalaisdesCongrèsinMontreal.Thisprocessaimstogeneratepublicdebateandproposeaprogressiveandinclusiveorientationforthedevelopmentofartificialintelligence.ThefirststepinthepublicconsultationprocessthatwillleadtothepublicationoftheDeclarationinDecember2018essentiallyendedinApril.

TheSteeringCommitteewasalsotaskedwithtakingaleadershiproleindefiningapan-Canadianstrategyforartificialintelligence.TheSteeringCommitteefulfilledthistaskbysupportingthecreationoftheCanadianAIConsortium(CAIC),whichbringstogethertheMILA–QuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstitute,Ontario’sVectorInstituteandAlberta’sAMIIInstitute.ThemissionofthisconsortiumistoexchangebestpracticesinAI,ensuresynergybetweenthethreeorganizationsandformulatecommonrequeststothefederalgovernment,suchasthoserelatedtoCanadiancomputinginfrastructures.Inthefuture,membersoftheconsortiumwillbeabletojoinforcestoestablishCanadaasaninternationalleaderinAIversuscompetitorswithgreaterfinancialresources.TheCanadianInstituteforAdvancedResearch(CIFAR)hasalsopromotedtheCanada-widestrategiceffortinartificialintelligencebyawardinga$125Mgranttothesethreeinstitutes,including$44MtoMILA–theQuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstitute.

Finally,thelastyear’sachievementsincludethecreationofSCALE.AIsuperclusterthankstofederalandQuebecfunding.Thisconsortium—whoseoperationwillbebasedoncollaborationsbetweentwoacademicleaders(IVADOinQuebecandtheUniversityofWaterlooinOntario)andorganizationsthatwillworkcloselywithQuebecstart-upsinAI(suchastheCreativeDestructionLabandNextAI)—willshape“anewglobalsupply-chainplatform,strengthenCanada'sartificialintelligence(AI)leadership,andaccelerateindustryadoptionofAI-enablingtechnologiesthroughcollaborativeandinnovativeprojects.”(translatedfromtheFrenchoriginal)4

SCALE.AIsuperclusterannouncementInMay2017,thefederalgovernmentheldanationalbusiness-ledinnovationsuperclustercompetition.TheSCALE.AI(SupplyChainsandLogisticsExcellence.AI)supergroup,ledbyAIleadersIVADOandtheUniversityofWaterloo,wasselected.

Thefederalgovernmentwillallocate$234Mtothissupercluster,whiletheQuebecgovernmenthasannouncedaninvestmentof$60Minits2018-2019budget.Takingintoaccountthecloseto$700Mincommitmentsoftheparticipatingcompanies,thisstructuringprojectrepresentsatotalinvestmentcloseto$1B.

4Seehttps://aisupplychain.ca/fr/.

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Report Summary

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Overview Artificialintelligence(AI)ispoisedtotransformQuebec’seconomyinaradicalwayoverthenextfewyears.Artificialintelligenceapplications,suchasvoicerecognitionandimageprocessing,arealreadywidespreadintheserviceindustryandcontinuetogainground.Foritspart,themanufacturingindustryisonthecuspofaprofoundtransformationwithAIasoneofthemaindrivers.Frompredictivemaintenancetoreal-timechemicalprocessefficiencyoptimization,AIapplicationswillgraduallybutinevitablyhelpourindustriestodomorewithless.

Inits2017report,theConseilconsultatifsurl’économieetl’innovation(CCEI)hasidentifiedthedevelopmentofAIasoneofQuebec’s12priorities,citingtheprovince’s“scientificlegup”andextraordinarypotentialforimplementingAIsolutions.Thiscomparativeadvantage,mentionedandexplainedinmanyreports,isbasedonthreemainpillars:basicAIresearch,massivedatavaluationandappliedresearch.

Indeed,oneofthelargestcohortsofAIresearchersintheworldiscurrentlyinQuebec.Theseresearchersareveryprolific(havingpublishedmorethan2,000articlesinthepastfiveyears),andtheirwritingshaveaninternationalinfluence(inthefieldofdeeplearning,somehavebeencitedseveralthousandtimes).Alsoofnote,moreandmorestudentslikelytoengageinAIresearchinthefutureareenrollinginQuebeceducationalinstitutions.Asanexample,attheÉcoledetechnologiesupérieureduQuébecandPolytechniqueMontréal,therearetwiceasmanystudentsininformationtechnologyastherewerefiveyearsago.

However,Quebec'sstrategicpositioningisnotlimitedtoresearch.Theprovince,andmorespecificallyMontreal,alsohasacriticalmassofstart-ups,investors,potentialusers,grantingagenciesandliaisonandtransferorganizations.Thesestakeholdersformadynamicandcomplexecosystemthatextendswellbeyonduniversitywallsandhaveattracted$150MinAIventurecapitaloverthepasttwoyears.TheyhavealsospurredlargecompanieslikeThalesorMicrosofttoopensevenAIresearchcentresinrecentmonths.

However,theQuebecAIecosystemalsohassomeweaknesses,asshowninthetablebelow,whichtheSteeringCommitteedrewupafterpreliminarybenchmarkingwork.Often,coordinationbetweenuniversitiesandindustrystakeholdersremainsdifficult.Forexample,companiesreportthattheydonotwhichdoortoknockontoundertakeacollaborativeappliedresearchproject.Similarly,inQuebec,aselsewhere,theindustry’shighwagesencourageprofessorswhoareinapositiontotrainfuturegenerationsofAIresearcherstoleaveacademiatopursueacareerinbusiness.Fortheirpart,AIproducerssometimeshaveadifficulttimefindingtheirfirstQuebeccustomers(amongotherreasons,becauselargefirmsarerelativelyrareintheprovince),whowouldserveasaspringboardforaccessingforeignmarkets.AsforpotentialAIusers,theyoftenmisunderstandthetechnology’spotentialandimpactsincreatinganewbusinessmodelorimprovingtheirprocesses.

Therefore,vigorousactionisrequiredtoensureQuebec'scompetitiveedgeismaintainedoverthelongterminthefaceofinternationalcompetition.And,actingquicklyisessential!

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Strengths and weaknesses of Quebec AI ecosystem stakeholders5

Trainingandresearch Industrialfabric Supportecosystem

5SeeArtificialIntelligenceClusterSteeringCommittee,Balisagedel’écosystèmequébécoisenIA,Montreal,2018,startingonp.66.

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OtherjurisdictionshaveannouncedsignificantcontributionstothedevelopmentofAI.Forexample,considerthefollowingfacts

• ChinahasdeclareditsintentiontobecometheworldleaderinAIby2030.Thisplanisalreadybeingcomparedtothecountry’s2014nationalstrategyonsemiconductors,towhichBeijingallocatedUS$15Bayearovera10-yearperiod.6

• Singaporehascreatedtwoorganizations–AISingaporeandtheSingaporeDataScienceConsortium–toboostitsAIexpertiseandbettercoordinateitsacademicandindustrialstrengths(thefirstentityhasalreadyreceivedUS$115Minfundingoverfiveyears).

• Finlandannouncedthelaunchofits“AIBusiness”program,withabudgetofUS$250Moverfouryears,tofinanciallysupportstart-ups,SMEsandlargecompaniesinthedevelopmentanduseofAI.

• InMarch2018,Franceannounceditsdecisiontoinvest∍1.5Bby2022tocreateartificialintelligenceresearchchairs,significantlyincreasethenumberofAIstudentsandachievemajorprojectsinthefield.

• Britainhopestoadd£630Btothetotalsizeofitseconomyby2035byinjecting£300MintoAIresearch,matchingbusinessAIinvestmentsinsectorssuchasagricultureandlifesciencesandadoptingothermeasures.

Statesarealsotakingnon-financialmeasurestobecomemorecompetitiveinAI.Manyofthemhaveequippedthemselveswiththemeanstoquicklyleveragetheirdata.Finlandhassetupapublicdatauseinitiative,emphasizingdatauseratherthanprotection,whichisacompleteparadigmshift.

TheQuebecgovernmenthasfarfromstoodstillinthefaceoftheseglobaldevelopments,asevidencedbythelistofdirectandindirectAIinvestmentsithasmadeinthelastyear.Inits2018EconomicPlanandotherinstruments,thegovernmenthas,inadditiontothe$100MoverfiveyearsreportedbytheSteeringCommitteeinthisreport,alreadyinvestedorannouncedthatitwillinvest$102MinAIprojectsorprograms,asfollows:

• $60MoverfiveyearstoSCALE.AIfortheimplementationofthissupercluster’sprojects• $10MoverfiveyearstohelplaunchCreativeDestructionLabofMontrealandNextAI,two

centreswhosemissionwillbetohelpstart-upsspecializedinAIdevelopandsupportstudents,professionalsandentrepreneurswhowishtodevelopideasthatrelyontheuseofAI

• $5MtohelpestablishanewinternationalAIorganizationinMontreal• $1MsoappliedmathematicalsciencecanbeleveragedtosupportAI-relatedfieldsinQuebec• $12.5Mtoimprovethestate-of-the-artcomputinginfrastructureavailabletotheQuebecAIfield

andothersectors• $5MforIVADOtocarryoutaCanadaFirstresearchprojectonbigdata,aswellastoincreasethe

state-of-the-artcomputingpoweravailabletoresearchers• $8.5MtosupportcollaborativeAIresearchprojectsthroughPrompt.

ThegovernmenthasalsoannouncedplanstomakefurthermajorinvestmentsthatcouldpotentiallyhaveanimpactonthedevelopmentoftheAIecosystem.Thus,the2018EconomicPlanprovidesforinvestmentsof:

• $15Mtoencouragedigitalownershipbytourismindustrystakeholders• $23MtotheCRIQ(CentrederechercheindustrielleduQuebec)toensurethetransitionof

manufacturingcompaniestoIndustry4.0

6Seehttps://www.cfr.org/blog/chinas-artificial-intelligence-strategy-poses-credible-threat-us-tech-leadership.

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• $60MovertwoyearsincallsforprojectsforindustrymemberstousetechnologiessuchasAIto

meetthechallengesfacingtheindustry,testnewbusinessmodels,marketnewservices,etc.

• $47Mtoincreasethegraduationrateinkeyareas,suchasscienceandappliedmathematics,for

thedevelopmentofAIinQuebec.

Inconclusion,toleadtheinternationalracecurrentlyinfullswingandachievethegoalofcreating“the

largestartificialintelligenceecosysteminNorthAmerica”(Recommendation12oftheCCEIreport),

Quebecwillneedtofocusitsresourcesonthestrategicleversatitsdisposal.Threeimperativeslieatthe

heartofthestrategyoutlinedherein.

1. WemustguaranteethepositioningandempowermentoftheMILA–QuebecArtificial

IntelligenceInstitute,anepicentreinmachinelearningwhosemissioncoversuniversityresearch,

training,technologytransferandsocialdialogue,whichwillprovidecross-disciplinarysupport

withinQuebec’sAIdevelopmentstrategy.

2. WemusthelpQuebecasawholecontributefullytothisshiftinthesectorsthathavebuildits

historicstrengthandenabletheQuebeceducationsystemasawholetoproducemoreAIand

digitalsciencespecialists.

3. WemustcontinuetosupportIVADOandSCALE.AIandbuildontheircurrentmomentum.

Thesethreeimperativesarecenteredaroundfivemajorstrategicdirectionsonwhichthisstrategyrests:

! MaintainQuebec'sacademicleadership

! Developtalent

! Supporttechnologytransferandmarketing

! DevelopacentreofexpertiseinresponsibleAI

! Developrobustsupportstructures

Thisreportpresentsthesefivestrategicdirectionaswellasthe12detailedrecommendationsrelatedto

them.Itshouldbenotedthatsomeoftheserecommendationscould–andshould–beimplemented

withoutdelay,whileotherswillrequireamorein-depthinteractionbetweenecosystemstakeholders.

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Steering Committee views 1. AI is a tremendous economic driver

Inarecentstudy,McKinsey&CompanyestimatesthattheuseofAIisexpectedtogenerateglobalproductivitygainsof0.8-1.4%peryearby2065(asapointofcomparison,theinventionofsteamproduceda0.3%increaseinproductivitybetween1850and1910).7Theseincreaseswillultimatelyincreasetheoveralllevelofwealthinoursocieties.

ThankstoAI,theplanet’scountrieswillenjoymuchhighereconomicgrowthinthefuturethantheywouldhaverecordedwithoutthistechnology(seechartbelow).Asaresult,by2030,AI'scontributiontotheglobaleconomyisexpectedtoreachUS$15.7T,asif10countriesthesizeofCanadaappearedontheplanetandinjecteditwithwealth.8Forexample,theUnitedKingdomestimatesthat,onitsown,AIhasthepotentialtogeneratemorethan£600Binitseconomyby2035.9

AI’simpactonrealgrossaddedvaluegrowth(%)10

Thesemajorgainswillmostlytaketheformofsavings.Thatistosay,thankstoAI,itwillcostlessto:

• respondtocitizensorcustomers(conversationalagents,orchatbots,willbeabletoautomaticallyprocessthemostfrequentwrittenrequestssubmittedtopublicauthoritiesorcompanies).

7Voirhttps://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/digital-disruption/harnessing-automation-for-a-future-that-works.8Voirhttp://www.businessinsider.com/infographic-ai-effect-on-economy-2017-8.9Voirhttps://newsroom.accenture.com/news/artificial-intelligence-poised-to-double-annual-economic-growth-rate-in-12-developed.10Voirhttps://goo.gl/v1GWVM.

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• preventtheemergenceofseriousdiseases(aMontrealcompany,Imagia,hascreatedsoftwarethat

canpredicttwoyearsbeforeanyradiologistifalungnoduleismalignant).11

• transportgoodsfromMontrealtoQuebec(driverlesstruckswillbeabletotransportgoodsfromone

citytoanother).

• createnewcharactersfromscratchfromexistingimagesorphotosinvideogamecompanies.12

• discoverneworedeposits(aminingcompanyusedAItopredictthelocationof86%ofAbitibi’sgold

depositsbyreviewingdataforonly4%oftheregion).13

• manageacompany'sinventory(Amazoniscurrentlytestingrobotsthatareabletoprepareapackage

andreplenishitswarehouseshelves).14

Thesegainswillalsocomeintheformofinnovations.AIwillallow:

• learnerstoputtheirknowledgeintoactionortakepersonalizedcourses(e.g.,Duolingogives

InternetuserstheopportunitytopracticetheirSpanishwithaconversationalrobotandprovides

lessonstailoredtotheirneeds,strengthsandweaknesses).15

• travelerstoplantheirtrip(themobileappofQuebeccompanyHopperletsInternetusersknow

whentheyshouldbuytheirplanetickettosavemoney).

• researcherstomakestillunimagineddiscoveries(byautomaticallyanalyzingmillionsofscientific

publications,IBM’stoolWatsondiscoveredinafewweeksalmostallthekinases–keyproteins

inthehumanbody–thatthebiologistsacrosstheworldhadtakennearly15yearstoidentify,as

wellastotallyunknownkinases).16

• olderpeopletolivelonger,independentlyandcomfortablyathomebecausearobotcan

completecomplexdomestictasks,suchascookingorcleaning,etc.

Insomecases,companiesusingAIwillevenbeabletocreatenewbusinessmodelsthatwillrevolutionize

theirindustry.

Infact,accordingtoresearchersattheUniversityofToronto,AIfundamentallyreducesthecostofmaking

predictions,and“whenmakingpredictionsbecomescheap,morepredictionsaremade.”Initially,the

authorsstress,thealgorithmswillbeabletoperformcertainpredictivetasksnowentrustedtohumans,

therebyenablingorganizationstosavemoney.However,“apredictionmachinemaybecomesoaccurate

andreliablethatitchangeshowanorganizationdoesthings.SomeAIswillaffecttheeconomicsofa

businesssodramaticallythattheywillnolongerbeusedtosimplyenhanceproductivityinexecuting

againstthestrategy;theywillchangethestrategyitself.”17

Insummary,AIisamajortechnologythatQuebeccompanieswillneedtostartintegratingasquicklyas

possibletoremaincompetitiveattheprovincial,Canadianandinternationallevels.Tothisend,theywill

needtheclosesupportofmanystakeholders,includingthoseinresearchandtechnologytransfer.

11Voirhttp://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/special/2017/02/intelligence-artificielle/apprendre-creer-predire-cancer-go-

science.html.12Voirhttps://futurism.com/these-people-never-existed-they-were-made-by-an-ai/.

13Voirhttps://www.techemergence.com/ai-in-mining-mineral-exploration-autonomous-drills/.

14Voirhttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/10/technology/amazon-robots-workers.html.

15Voirhttp://bots.duolingo.com/.

16Seehttp://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/special/2017/02/intelligence-artificielle/apprendre-creer-predire-cancer-go-science.html.

17Agrawal,A.,J.GansetA.Goldfarb(2018).PredictionMachines–TheSimpleEconomicsofArtificialIntelligence,HarvardBusiness

ReviewPress.

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2. The importance of having a common language

Theconceptofartificialintelligenceemergedin1950,withAlanTuring'seponymoustest:Canacomputer

communicateconvincinglyenoughtopersuadeahumanbeingthatitishuman?Coinedin1955to

describethefirstlectureonthesubjectatDartmouthCollege,ingeneraltermsandfromanapplication

pointofview,theterm“artificialintelligence”isusedtodescribemachinesorprogramscapableof

exhibitingbehaviourscommonlyattributedtohumans,suchaslearning,problemsolvingornatural

languageunderstanding.

Becauseitstimulatestheimagination,arousesavarietyofinterestsandhasevolvedthroughscientific

progress,thetermAIcancreateconfusion.Toavoidmisunderstandings,measureoutefforts,andabove

all,demystifyartificialintelligence,webelieveitiscrucialtoestablishacommonAIlexicalfieldbyfirst

makingaconceptualdistinctionbetweentwolevelsartificialintelligence:“weak”artificialintelligence,

whichdesignatesamachineorprogramcapableofperformingaspecific,potentiallyverycomplexbut

veryspecializedtask,suchasplayingGoefficiently,and“general”artificialintelligence,whichreferstoa

machineorprogramthatcanlearnamultitudeoftasksandtransferknowledgefromoneproblemto

another,asahumanwould.Todate,only“weak”artificialintelligenceformsexist,eventhoughthey

involvemoreandmorecomplextasks.

Whiledifferenttechniques–suchaslogicprogramming–havehelpedadvanceartificialintelligencesince

itsbeginningsinthemiddleofthetwentiethcentury,muchattentionhasnowturnedtomachine

learning,whichoffersthebest-knownwaytoadvanceartificialintelligencethroughalgorithmsthatlearn

fromdataorexperiences.Threecategoriesoflearningalgorithmscanbecited:supervisedlearning,which

involvesextrapolatingrulesfromasetofwell-definedexamples;unsupervisedlearning,whichinvolves

findingunderlyingstructuresinadataset;andreinforcementlearning,whichisaboutimprovingdecision-

makingbyrepeatingexperiencesmultipletimes.

Someofthesemethodsinvolvemodelsandalgorithmsthathaveexistedforalongtime,butwhosescope

hasincreasedtenfoldinrecentyearsduetotheexponentialgrowthofcomputingpoweranddata

availability(BigData).Moreover,significantbreakthroughsindeeplearning–aformofmachine

learning–haveledtotheAIshiftweareexperiencingduetotheabilitytosolvenewtypesofcomplex

problemsthatwereoutofreachwithtraditionalapproaches,forexample,thedevelopmentof

autonomousvehicles.

Breakthroughsindeeplearningandotherformsofmachinelearningarewhatisdrivingthecurrentboom

inAIandarewhatmanypeoplerefertoasAIinanarrowersense.Machinelearning,afieldinwhichMILA

isawell-knownworldleader,isgarneringextraordinaryinvestments.Itisalsotheareathatseemstohave

thebestchanceofeventuallyleadingtoaformofgeneralartificialintelligence.Wemustmaintain

Quebec'sleadershipinthisfieldandmarketthistechnologytocreatewealth.

MassiveamountsofdataarerequiredtodevelopAIsolutionsandupdatealgorithms.Thesedatamustbe

prepared,structured,transformed,analyzedandinterpreted,expertisewhichfallsunderthepurviewof

datascience,amultidisciplinaryfieldthatmoregenerallyaimstoextractknowledgefromdatasets.IVADO

–theInstituteforDataValidation–hasworld-classexpertiseindatascienceandisrecognizedforits

operationalresearchhub.Operationalresearchaimstodevelopconceptualmathematicalmodelsto

optimizedecision-makingthatinvolvescomplexissues.Therearesynergiesbetweenthisdisciplineand

machinelearning,asevidencedbytheCanadaExcellenceResearchChairinDataScienceforReal-Time

Decision-Makingresearchprogram,whichispositionedatthecrossroadsofthesedisciplines,aswellas

bythefundamentalscientificobjectiveofIVADO’sCanadaFirstprogram,whichistobuildonthe

synergiesbetweenoperationalresearchandmachinelearning.

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Also,itshouldbenotedthatAIispartofawiderdigitaltransformationonwhichitdependsandwhose

componentsarecloselyconnected,inparticulartheInternetofThings,digitizationandautomationof

processes.Allofthesetechnologiespositiondatanotasaby-productbutasan“asset,”anew“raw

material”thatmustbegenerated,exploited,analyzedandvalued.

Finally,othertechnologiesthatarestillattheresearchstagearepoisedtoacceleratethegrowthof

artificialintelligence.Quantumcomputers,forexample,coulddrasticallyincreasethecomputingpower

availableforAIoptimizationproblemsandapplications.Quebechasrecognizedexpertiseinthisfield,as

shownbythe$33.5MCanadaFirstResearchGrantawardedtotheUniversitédeSherbrookein2015.

3. The need to make choices and focus our efforts

WiththeriseoftheAI,Singaporehaschosentofocusitsattentiononcertainaspectsofitseconomy.

WiththecreationofAISingapore,thecountryhasannounceditsambitiontorevolutionizethreesectors

bydevelopingadvancedAItechnologies.Thesethreesectorsarehealth,financeand“smartcity”

technologies,whichincludeurbanmobility.

Moreover,withthecreationoftheDataScienceConsortium(DSC),Singaporeisattemptingtocapitalize

onitsexistingstrengthsinadvancedanalyticsanddatasciencesthroughacademicandindustry

collaborations.Specifically,thegoaloftheSDCistofacilitatetheadoptionandmarketingofmoremature

technologiesinthreeadditionalsectors:sales,logisticsandthemanufacturingsector.

TheSteeringCommitteeisconvincedQuebecmustalsoacquiresectorialexcellenceifitwantstowinthe

AItechnologyrace.Inotherwords,toensureitsleadership,Quebecmustmakechoicesandsticktothem.

Thisconcentrationofeffortsisallthemorecriticalinacontextwheretalentsarelimitedandpublicand

privatesectorinvestmentsinQuebeccannotmatchthoseofotherstates,suchasChina,ortechnological

giantssuchasGoogleandAmazon.

Inits2018-2019budget,theQuebecgovernmenthastaggedcertainprioritysectorssuchaseducation

andhealth,inwhichmorethan$1.6Band$5.4Binadditionalinvestmentsareplanned,respectively.The

governmentisalsoplanningmajorinvestmentsofmorethan$650Mtoprotecttheenvironmentand

promoteenergytransition,particularlyinthemobilitysector.Thesemainprioritiesarecomplementedby

otherkeysectorsoftheeconomythatthegovernmentplanstosupport,includingcleantechnologies,

biofood,lifesciencesandthefinancialsector.Thedevelopmentofsupplychainprojectsisalsooneofthe

government’sgoals,asisthestrengtheningofQuebec'sforestrysector.MILA,IVADOandSCALE.AIhave

alsoidentifiedkeyareasofintervention:health,mobility,18logistics,

19resourcesandgreenenergy,as

wellastradeandfinance.

BasedontheprioritiesofMILA,IVADOandSCALE.AI,theSteeringCommitteeconcludesthatthesectors

thattheQuebec’sAIecosystemwillneedtofocusonoverthenextfewyearswillmostlikelyinclude

health,energy,mobility,logisticsandfinance.

Notethatthefinalchoiceofsectorstobefavouredwillbemadeintheimplementationplanofthe

strategydefinedinthisdocument,afterfurtherconsultationwithecosystemstakeholders.Itshouldalso

beemphasizedthattheresultsachievedintheimplementationofthebusinesscoachingprograms

referredtoinRecommendation7mayalsoaffectfuturepriorities.Forexample,mappingdoneinvarious

18Nousdéfinissonslamobilitécommelacapacitédedéplacementoulavueholistiquedutransportetdudéplacementdes

personnesetdelamarchandise,avecousansvéhicule.19Par«logistique»,nousentendonsl’ensembledesprocessusetdesactivitésliésàlagestiondeschaînesd’approvisionnement.

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industriesmayshowthatAItechniquesinwhichQuebecstakeholdersspecializewillhaveagreaterimpactinsomesectorsornichesthaninothers.20

Itisimportanttoemphasizethatthispositioningdoesnotrepresentexclusionandisnotaquestionof“choosingwinnersandlosers.”Rather,itisaboutfocusingtheeffortsofgovernmentandecosystemstakeholdersinareaswhereQuebeccantrulyplayaleadershiprole.

4. The need to elevate and make Quebec’s ambition sustainable as well as to invest with conviction

ThepoliticalwilltomakeAIadrivingforceintheCanadianandQuebececonomiesisobvious.Inadditiontothesignificantinvestmentsalreadyannouncedbybothlevelsofgovernment,anumberofstructuringinitiatives–includingthecreationofSCALE.AI–havebeenlaunched.

However,theannouncedinvestmentswillnotbeenoughtopositionQuebecasaleader.Atmost,theseinvestmentswillonlyallowittostayintherace.Moreover,thecontinuationoftheinitiativeslaunchedbythegovernmentsinplacedependslargelyontheelectoralcycle.Therefore,whilenotable,theseeffortsarenotenough.

Therefore,webelievethatthegovernmentshouldsustainitseffortsbymakingamuchlargerinvestmentover10yearsinsteadoffive.TogeneratetheimpactdesiredinQuebec,thisinvestmentmustbe$500Matminimum.Weareawarethatthisisabigask,butwebelievethatAIhasthepotentialtobecomearealdriveroftheeconomyifwemakethecollectivechoicetoinvestinit.

Theadditional$300Maddedtothe$202Mcommittedtodatewouldservethreepurposes:

1) Sustaintheanchoringinstitutes,MILAandIVADO,overa10-yearhorizon.2) AcceleratethedevelopmentofAIanddigitalsciencetalentwithintheecosystem.

20Mentionnons,parexemple,queselonMcKinsey,ilyaplusd’avantagesàutiliserlestechniques«avancées»del’IA(commel’apprentissageprofond)quedestechniquesdetraitementdedonnéesplustraditionnellesdansdesindustriescommecellesduvoyage,dutransportoudelaventeaudétail.Voiràcesujethttps://goo.gl/8guv5W,p.13.

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3) Acceleratethetechnologytransferproce

Recommendations

Figure2—Theinterdependenceoftheecosystem’scomponents

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Whilethestrategicdirectionspresentedinthisreportcanbeunderstoodandreadindependently,theyconstituteawholewithinwhicheachcomponentisessentialtoensurethegrowthandsustainabilityofQuebec'sleadershipinartificialintelligence.

Figure2showsthelinksbetweentheAIecosystemelements.Themainissueisonewhichdrivesalltheothers:talent.Atpresent,thesupplyofskilledlabourinthisareaisfailingtomeettheever-increasingdemand.ToprovideleadershipinAIresearch,designanduse,Quebecmustadoptmeasurestodramaticallyincreasetalentinthisfield.TheseindividualsareresearchersandstudentswhoarebuildingtheAIacademicresearchanddatasciencehub.TheyareyoungentrepreneurswhoareactivelyinvolvedinthedesignofAIapplicationsandwillcontributetotheadoptionanduseofAIandAI-relatedfieldsinQuebec.Whentalentdrivesthesethreeareas,marketingandtechnologytransferbecomepossible.TrainingnewtalentboostsAIresearch,designanduseand,throughmarketing,generatessignificanteconomicspin-offsforQuebec.

SomeactionsmustbetakentostrengthenQuebec’sAIecosystem.Expandingthetalentpoolis,ofcourse,closelylinkedtouniversityresearchleadership,whichlargelydeterminesourabilitytotrainandattractnewtalenttotheprovince'seducationalinstitutions.Thisleadershipwillfosterthedevelopmentofnewnationalstart-upsandtechnologytransferintheprovince.Therefore,thisreport’sfirststrategicdirectionproposesvariousrecommendations,whichrunfromhowtoattractrenownedresearcherstorecruitingqualitylocalandforeignstudentsatthegraduatelevel,toensurethegrowthofanAIresearchhub.

ThesecondstrategicdirectionfocusesonbarriersthatspecificallylimitAIanddigitalsciencedevelopmentinQuebec,suchasthelackofvisibilityoftheecosystem’sneedforskills,theconstraintsofreviewingcollegeanduniversityprograms,butalso,thebroaderissuesofmathematicalliteracyandthepromotionofscience.

Foritspart,thethirdstrategicdirectionproposesmeasurestosupportthemarketingprocesstoacceleratetheadoptionanddevelopmentofAIsolutionsacrosstheQuebececonomy.ThesemeasureswillimpactAIdesignorganizations(i.e.start-ups)thathavethepotentialtotransformtheprovince’seconomiclandscapeaswellastechnologytransferandappliedresearchcentres.Themeasureswillalsoimpactuserorganizations(i.e.SMEs,largecompaniesandgovernmentbodies).

TheuseofAIinoursocietynotonlygeneratesasetofsocial,ethicalandeconomicreflectionsincludingthoseregardinggoodgovernanceessentialtothetechnology’sacceptance,butitcanalsobecomearealassetforQuebecattheprovincial,federalandinternationallevels.ThefourthstrategicdirectionfocusesonthedevelopmentofaresponsibleAIhubinQuebec.

Finally,thefifthorientationaimstostrengthentheecosystem’senginetransverselyand“addoiltoitsgears”byupgradingITinfrastructuresandestablishingapermanentorganizationtopromotecollaborationbetweenstakeholders.

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Strategic direction 1

Ensure the development and sustainabil ity of Quebec’s AI

academic research hub

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> Recommendation 1: Increase our abi l ity to attract researchers in areas where Quebec has the potential to become a world leader

FINDINGS

Atpresent,Quebecisrecognizedworldwideforitsexpertiseinartificialintelligenceresearch.Indeed,ithasthelargestconcentrationofmachinelearningacademicsintheworld–about250experts–andhostsoneofthemostwell-regardedmachinelearningresearchcentres,theMILA–QuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstitute.Moreover,severalworld-renownedscientists,includingoneofthethreedeeplearningpioneers,ProfessorYoshuaBengio,arebasedinQuebec.

Inadditiontothismachinelearninghub,QuebecisalsorecognizedforitsknowledgeinAIapplicationsresearch.Forexample,theMcGillCentreforIntelligentMachines(CIM),createdin1985,bringstogether21researchersand150graduatestudentswhoseresearchinAIfocusesontheuseofalgorithmsinrobotics,computervisionandperson-systeminteraction.

Alsoworthmentioning,istheInstituteofDataValorization(IVADO),whichbringstogethermorethan1,000scientistsaffiliatedwiththeUniversitédeMontréal,HECMontréalandPolytechniqueMontréal,whoaredevelopingcutting-edgeexpertiseinthefieldsofdatascience,operationalresearchandAI.AmongIVADO’smembersaretheCentreinteruniversitairederecherchesurlesréseauxd’entreprise,lalogistiqueetletransport(CIRRELT)andtheGrouped’étudesetderechercheenanalysedesdécisions(GERAD),twointeruniversityresearchpillarsinQuebecfoundedmorethan30yearsago,whicharehometotheCanadaExcellenceResearchChairinDataScienceforReal-TimeDecision-Making.

Finally,wemustmentionthepresenceoftheCentrederechercheendonnéesmassivesdel’UniversitéLaval(CRDM),whichhasmorethan35permanentmembersfromfivedifferentfacultiesworkingonbioinformatics,unstructureddataandtheconfidentiality,ethicsandsocialacceptabilityofdatause.ThemapofQuebecinFigure3showstheextentofQuebec'suniversitynetworkinAIandAI-relatedfields.

Quebec’sacademicresearchhubandhistoricaladvantagearefragile,however.Ontheonehand,thereisamovementtodemocratizeAItechnology,especiallywiththeriseofopensourcecodes.Privatecompanies,includingFacebook,willinglysharealgorithmsthey’vedevelopedinternally.Ontheotherhand,manyjurisdictionsandlargeforeigncompaniesinvestheavilyinAIandAI-relatedfields.Theseinvestmentsareusedtoattractresearchersinparticular.In2016,investmentsbytechnologygiantsamountedtobetween$20Band$30B.21In2017,BeijingannounceditsplantoincreasetheeconomicweightoftheAIsectorby$25Bby2020.22QuebecnowhastheopportunitytostrengthenitsacademicresearchhubinAIandensureitsgrowth.Let'sseizethisopportunityandactquickly.

SUGGESTEDAPPROACH

Phaseno1:Ensurethedevelopmentof,andreinforce,amachinelearninganddeeplearninghub

Asafirststep,werecommendthattheMESIgrantsubstantialfundingtotheMILA–QuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstitutetoensurethedevelopmentofthemachinelearninganddeeplearninghubcurrentlyfocusedatthisInstitute.

ThefundingprovidedtotheMILAwillmakeiteasiertoattractandretainhigh-caliberresearchersinmachinelearning,deeplearningandreinforcement

21McKinseyGlobalInstitute(2017).Artificialintelligence:Thenextdigitalfrontier.22Voirhttps://www.challenges.fr/high-tech/le-plan-de-la-chine-pour-devenir-leader-mondial-en-intelligence-artificielle_488717.

$100Mfundfinancingpriority

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learning,throughwhichAIwillbecomeapowerfuldriverofeconomicandsocialdevelopmentforQuebec.Morespecifically,theamountspaidtoMILAwillbeusedto:

• developyoungtalents(scholarshipsforgiftedstudents,updatedAItrainingprogramsforQuebecers,mathematicalliteracypromotionandthedemocratizationofscience).

• createresearchpartnershipsthatwillallowtheemergenceofnewAIcompaniesandtheadoptedofAIbyQuebecSMEsoperatinginkeysectorsoftheprovince’seconomy.

• improveaccesstothecomputingpowerandcomputationalexpertiseforresearchersandsomeAIfirmstomaketheirworkmoreefficient

• incubatebusinesses.

Alltheseelementswillhelpcreatearichandstimulatingecosystemuniversityresearcherswillappreciate.Highlyqualifiedpersonnelwillalsoberesponsibleforthesupervisionofappliedprojectsandinternshipsforstudentsenrolledinprofessionalmaster'sprogramsandadvancedgraduatediplomaprograms,whichwillrapidlytrainmorethan100graduatestudentseachyear.

ItshouldbenotedthattheMILAwillensurethecloseinvolvementofstakeholdersfromdifferentQuebeceducationalandresearchinstitutions,bothinitsactivitiesandthegovernancestructureitwillsetup.Forexample,itisalreadyplannedthatarepresentativefromUniversitéLavalwillsitontheMILABoardofDirectors.Similarly,discussionsareunderwaytoclarifyhowthisInstitutewillcollaboratewithresearchersoutsideUniversitédeMontrealandMcGillUniversity.

InvestinginMILAandinresearchtogrowtheeconomyisasensiblechoiceThedecisiontomakeMILAoneofthedrivingforcesbehindthegrowthofQuebec'sAIsectorandeconomicdevelopmentisinlinewiththatofothercountries.Forexample,theU.K.'snewAIstrategyaimstoprovidetheAlanTuringInstitutewithresourcesthatwillallowittoexpandrapidly,becomeanationalAIresearchcentreandcollaboratewithforeigncentres.GermanyisamajorplayerinthesectorwiththeDeutscheForschungszentrumfürKünstlicheIntelligenz(DFKI),anorganizationinwhichsome900researchersandgraduatestudents,withstateandindustrysupport,participatein300researchprojects.TheimplementationofSouthKorea'sAIplanislargelybasedonthecreationofanationalresearchcentreaspartofapublic-privatepartnership.Recently,Japanhasusedasimilarapproachbyinvesting$340MtofoundtwonewbasicAIresearchcentres.

Phaseno2:Facilitatepan-QuebecmobilizationtofosterthedevelopmentofAIapplicationsresearchanditspotentialimpact

WeproposethreestepstoensurethegrowthanddurabilityofAIapplicationsresearchexcellence:

1) QuebechasstrengthsotherthanMILAinacademicresearch.Thesestrengths,whichtheprovincecouldbuildontobolsteritssectoralpositioning,includeresearchersworkingonAIapplicationsthatwillunderpinthedevelopmentofQuebec'smaineconomicsectors.ThesestrengthsalsoincluderesearchersfromdifferentdisciplineswhoareassessingtheimpactofAIonindividuals,organizationsandsocieties,thinkingaboutthesocialinnovationsneededforAIpenetrationtoachieveexpectedresultsandconcernedaboutresponsibleAIdevelopment.

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2) WethereforerecommendthattheQuebecgovernmentparticipateinthecreationof20to30

sectoralexcellencechairsinAIapplicationsinQuebec'stop-prioritysectors,suchashealth,mobilityandlogistics,aswellasthesocial,societalandhumanaspectsofthedevelopmentanduseofAI.Whileitisessentialtoensurethedevelopmentofbasicresearchintheareasofadvancedmachinelearning,itisalsocrucialtosupportresearchintotheapplicationsofAIwithinindustrialandacademicsectorsthatareQuebec’sstrength.ThecreationofthesesectoralchairswillencouragethecontributionofallQuebecresearcherstothedevelopmentofAI,basedonthehubsalreadypresentinQuebecuniversities.Itisimportanttodistinguishtheabove-mentionedsectoralchairsfromtheMILA–QuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstitute’sCIFARchairsandtohighlighttheircomplementarynature.TheCIFARchairsensurethegrowthofthefundamentalresearchhubinmachinelearning,deeplearningandreinforcementlearning.ThesectoralchairswillhelpdevelopAIapplicationresearchinsectorsinwhichQuebechasalwaysbeenverystrong.Theywillalsointensifyworkonsocial,societalandhumanaspectsofAIpenetration.Moreover,itisexpectedthataportionoftheCIFRAfundstheMILA–QuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstitutereceiveswillberedirectedtothird-partyuniversities(e.g.,UniversitéLaval)tosupportthedevelopmentofexpertiseinmachinelearning,deeplearningandreinforcementlearningthroughouttheprovince.OneofthethreeFondsderechercheduQuebec(FRQ),theFRQ-NT(NatureetTechnologies),theFRQ-S(Santé)ortheFRQ-SC(SocietéetCulture),couldberesponsibleforthecreationandmanagementofsectoralchairsofexcellence.TheFRQ’sthreeresearchfundscouldcollaboratetomakeitpossibletoawardchairsinvariousfieldsrangingfromhealthtotransporttothesocietalimpactofAI.Thedesignatedfundwillneedtoappointacommitteeofexpertstoevaluateapplicationsforthegrantingofthechairs.TheGovernmentofCanada,throughfederalinstitutionssuchastheCanadaResearchChairsProgram,willalsobeaskedtoparticipateinthecreationofthe20to30AIchairs.Wedonotrecommendaspecificprocessforgrantingthechairs.Thedesignatedfundwilldecidewhetheraquotaofchairswillbeallocatedperuniversityorwhetherallchairswillbeaccessibletoalluniversities.Similarly,thefundwillhavetodecideonthenatureanddurationofthechairs.Amongthecriteriaforevaluatingchairapplicationswillbetheabilitytoshowhowtheresearchgroupwillfitintotheecosystemandcollaboratewithcurrentresearchlaboratories.Asanindication,seven-yearchairs,withanannualvalueofabout$250,000each,wouldrepresentatotalcostofapproximately$35to$52.5M,dependingonthenumberofchairsawarded.Therewillalsobeadditionalcostsinvolvedinoperatingandimplementingtheappropriateinfrastructure.Thegovernmentcouldalsoconsiderpartneringwithprivatecompaniesthatcouldfund,atleastinpart,someofthesesectoralchairs.Chairsareanexcellenttoolandcouldevenbedescribedasnecessaryforattractingandretainingtopresearchers.Nevertheless,wemustadmittheyarenotalwaysenough.Thereareadditionalbarrierstoresearcherrecruitment,someofwhicharestructuraloneswithintheacademiccommunity.Beyondtheestablishmentofchairs,wemustthereforemakesomerelatedproposalstoovercometheseobstacles:

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• Firstofall,letusconsidertheissueofjobcreationforrecruitedresearchers.Theprocessofcreatinganewpositionisnotonlycomplex–theapprovalofboththefacultyandthedepartmentisrequired–butalsoextremelydemandingfortheuniversity,giventhelong-termnatureofthepositionscreated.Wethereforerecommendthattheministèredel’Éducationetdel’Enseignementsupérieursupportthefacultiesanddepartmentsinvolvedincreatingnewpositionsthatwouldresultnotonlyfromthechairsawarded,butalsofromhiresinAI-relatedstreams,whichwillprovidebasiccomputerandmathematicseducation,atypeofeducationthatwillcertainlyincreaseinpopularitybyattractingmorelocalandforeignAIstudents(seeRecommendation2).

• Theretentionofresearchersbecomesanissuewhenachairexpires.Universitiesfindthemselvesinadelicatesituationwheretheycannotaffordtopaytheequivalentsalarytoresearchers.Wethereforerecommendthatthegovernmentputinplace,overthelongterm,achairprogramthatwillpromotetheemergencenotonlyofAI,butofallthesectorsandtechnologiesoftheneweconomy.Overthedecades,thethemesofthechairscanchangedependingontheareasQuebecwishestopromote.ThisprogramwillcontinuetosupportandretainthemostpromisingresearchersinQuebec.

• TheissueofresearcherretentionisalsocrucialforholdersoftheMILACIFARchairs,whichlastfiveyearsandwhosepurposeistofinancethedevelopmentofaresearchhubinmachinelearning,deeplearningandreinforcementlearning.ToretainresearchersastheCIFARchairsareinstituted,werecommendthattheQuebecgovernmentintercedewiththefederalgovernmenttoensuretherenewalofthefundingforthesechairsorthegrowthandsustainabilityoftheCIFARbasicAIresearchexcellencechairs.

• Also,weinvitethegovernmenttoengageinadeepreflectionregardingthesystemicissueofcompensationofferedtouniversityresearchers,whichoftencannotcompetewithhigh-techsectors.

• Lastly,beyondthechairsandgovernmentsupportforthecreationofnewresearcherpositions,Quebecneedstobecreativeifitwantstoattracthighlytalentedresearchers.Forexample,China(seethecasestudybelow)createstailoredrecruitmentpackagesinitsThousandTalentsPlanandrecentmeasuressuchasthecreationoftheAICity(salariesof$1Mormore,grantsforchildren’seducation,guaranteedemploymentforspouses).Wethereforerecommendthatagovernmentearmarkabudgetaryenvelopetosupportuniversitiesinrecruitingworld-classAIandAI-applicationsresearchers.Giventhatuniversitiesdonotallhavethesameresearcherrecruitingissues,wesuggesttheysubmittheirneedstothegovernment,whichwillmanagetheawardingofgrants.

2) Inadditiontosupportinguniversities,werecommendthatthegovernmentsupportQuebec

CEGEPsintheirtrainingandresearchcapacity.Atpresent,manyprojectsareunderwayinthecollegenetwork.Forexample,thecreationofanAttestationofCollegialStudiesinAIandaDiplomaofCollegeStudiesinAIatCollègeBois-de-Boulogne.Toensurethesuccessoftheseprograms,itwillbenecessarytorecruitprofessorsandresearcherswhohaveexcellentknowledgeofAI-relatedfields.However,itisdifficulttoattractfacultytotheseinstitutions,giventheoverwhelmingdemandforAIspecialistsacrosstheecosystem.IfQuebecwantstoattractexcellentprofessor-researcherswithinthecollegenetworktonotonlyeducate,butalsodoresearch,itbecomesimperativetosupporttheCEGEPsinthisprocess,forexample,bycreatingabudgetaryenvelopethatwillbeusedtosupportthecollegenetworkinitsrecruitmentofprofessorsinAI-relatedfields.

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3) Finally,werecommendapplyingtoEmploymentandSocialDevelopmentCanadaandtheministèredel’Immigration,delaDiversitéetdel’InclusionduQuebectoenrollfacultyandacademicresearchersinAI-relatedfieldsonthelistofprofessionsforthe“Volettalentsmondiaux”pilotproject,launchedinJune2017.Thisadditionwouldmakeitpossibletoprocessapplicationsforaworkpermitinjust10workingdays.Already,thelistoftheseprofessionscoversmanyareasoftheinformationandcommunicationtechnologysector.Sinceitisupdatedannually,itisimperativetoactquicklytoimplementthisrecommendation.BetweenJuneandDecember2017,10-dayprocessingwasrespectedfor95%ofthe850applications.Inadditiontoprofessorsandresearchers,thegovernmentshouldalsotakeadvantageoftheupdated“Volettalentsmondiaux”listtoincludeotherAI-relatedprofessions,suchasresearchersvisitingforafewmonthsandAItraineesandprogrammers.

AttractinghighlyqualifiedresearchersisofvitalimportancetothedevelopmentofQuebec’sAIacademicresearchhub.Indeed,thegrowthofacriticalmassofrenownedAIandAI-applicationsresearchersleading-edgesectorsinQuebecwillhelpincreasetheprovince'sprestigeinthisfield,whichwillinturnattractstudentsandotherresearchers.AttractinghighlytalentedresearchersisthereforethekeyissuethatwillpropelthevirtuouscircleofgrowthandsustainabilityofQuebecAIacademicresearchleadership.

CASESTUDY

In2008,ChinalauncheditsThousandTalentsPlan,aninitiativetorepatriate,overa10-yearperiod,2,000Chinese“globalexperts”workinginternationally. These“globalexperts”aredefinedasPhDswhohaveattainedthelevelofAssistantProfessoratarecognizeduniversityorscientif ic institution.In2011,theprogramexpandedtoincludeattractingforeignscientiststoChina.Todate,thisprogramhasalreadyexceededitsobjectives,sincemorethan7,000scientistshavebeenrepatriated.23

TheThousandTalentsPlanprovidesChineseuniversitieswithareservefundtoattracthighlyqualif iedtalentinternationally. Thesefundsareinadditiontothefundsalreadyplannedbyuniversitiestocreateresearcherpositionsandmakeit possibleforuniversitiestooffercompetitivepackagestoworld-classresearchers.

Moreover,Chineseuniversitiesreceivegovernmentgrantsfortheir internationalrecruitmentactivities(travel, promotions,etc.). Thesegrantsarenotasub-componentoftheuniversities’budget,butanindependentbudgetaryenvelope,whichencouragesuniversitiestoexpandtheirrecruitmentbeyondChina.

Finally,universitiesareinvitedtooffercustomizedrecruitmentpackagestothevariousscientiststheywishtoattract.Anysalarysurplusisnegotiated,and,veryoften,otherbenefitsareoffered,suchasarelocationallowance,subsidizededucationforchildren,paidreturnairfaretoreturntovacationinthecountryoforigin,guaranteedemploymentforspouses,mealal lowances,housingsubsidies,etc.Someuniversitiesevenallowrecruitedresearcherstospend50%oftheirt imeintheircountryoforigin.24

23Voirhttps://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-00538-z.24ConferenceBoardofCanada(2016).TheThousandTalentsProgram–LessonsFromChinaAboutFacultyRecruitmentandRetention.

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Figure3–Quebecuniversities,AI-relatedresearchcentresandCEGEPnetworkofferinganITprogram

> Recommendation 2: Ensure the inflow – in quantity and quality – of local and foreign graduate students in AI and AI-related f ields

FINDINGS

Currently,universitiesareexperiencingaslightincreaseingraduatestudentenrollmentacrossallfields,especiallyatthemaster’slevel.Ontheotherhand,itismoredifficult,especiallyinareassuchasdatascienceandAIwhereprofilesarehighlysoughtafterintheindustry,toconvincemanystudentstoengageindoctoralstudies.Thejobmarketoffersareattractiveandrarelyrequireadoctorate.Infact,thelowvalueofaPhDintheCanadianlabourmarketisthemainreasongiveninanOECDreport25forthelackofstudentinterestinpursuingstudiesatthedoctoratelevel.Yet,ifQuebecwantstobeaworldleaderinAIresearch,weneedtoattractmorestudentsandsupportthemthroughouttheirPhDstudies.

25Seehttps://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/5k92pghq4247-en.pdf?expires=1527308148&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=366E9D971EE22CE6576967EB89DDD5E3.

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Tofillpositionsintheirresearchgroups,researcherstodayturntorecruitingforeignstudents.InQuebec,in2017,foreignstudentsrepresented20%ofthestudentpopulationatthegraduateleveland40%ofthestudentsenrolledindoctoralprograms.26Also,QuebecrankedlastinCanadaforthegrowthinthenumberofinternationalstudentsbetween2000and2014.BritishColumbia,theCanadianleaderonthisfront,experiencedagrowthratefivetimeshigherthanthatofQuebec.27Currently,aforeignstudent’spathfromrecruitmenttointegrationintheworkplace,isstrewnwithvariousobstaclesthathinderimmigrationandpermanentsettlementinQuebec.

Tostart,tuitionfeesforinternationalstudentsarehigh,andinternationalstudentsdonothaveaccesstoallthescholarshipsavailabletoCanadianstudents,whichcanmakefindingfundingmoredifficult.

Moreover,thefiguresshowthatin2015,Quebechostedabout43,000foreignstudentsatthepost-secondarylevel,butonly3,500selectioncertificateswereissuedtostudents.28AccordingtoMontréalInternational,thethreemainobstaclestoretainingforeignstudentsareaccesstoemployment(disparityinservicesofferedwithinuniversities,reluctanceofemployerstohirestudentswithatemporarystatus),theimmigrationprocess(unknownprocessthat’sconsideredcomplex,increasedtimeforgrantingpermanentresidence)andtherequiredlevelofproficiencyinFrench(difficulttoattainthelanguageproficiencylevelrequiredtoobtaintheQuebecselectioncertificate).29Yettoday,Quebecisadestinationofchoiceformanyinternationalstudents,accordingtotheQSBestStudentCities2017list,whichranksMontrealasthebeststudentcityintheworld.30Moreover,accordingtotherecentNestpickstudy,31Montrealisthesecondlargestcityintheworldformillennials.ConsideringthathalfoftheinternationalstudentswouldliketostayinQuebecaftertheirstudies32(accordingtoastudyconductedbyMontréalInternational),wemustconcludethatalargenumberofthemreturntotheirhomecountryaftergraduation,whilewecouldhavekeptthemhere.ItwillbeimportanttoensurethatthisdoesnothappeninAIandAI-relatedfields.

ThegrowthanddurabilityoftheQuebecAIhubshouldencouragemanyforeignstudentstoimmigratetoQuebectopursuetheirstudies.Thisisonemorereasontoensurethattheirjourneyissmooth,fromrecruitmenttointegrationintotheworkplace.

SUGGESTEDAPPROACH

WeproposefourmeasurestoensuretheinfluxoflocalandforeignstudentstograduatestudiesinAI-relatedfields:

1) First,werecommendmakingconcertedeffortsandrampingupcurrentinitiativestopromotescienceandtechnologyandmathematicalliteracy,andtoincreasedigitalscienceandAItrainingfromthehigh-schoolleveltotheuniversitylevel.SupplyingandgrowingthepipelineofgraduatestudentsinAI-relatedfieldsbeginswiththedemocratizationofscienceandthepromotionofcareersinthemathematicalsciencesfromthegrade-schoollevelandalsobygrowingtheAItrainingoffering.Recommendations4and5coverthistopicinmoredetail,inparticularbyrespondingtotheneedtosupporteducationalinstitutionsinupdatingtheirtrainingofferingandpromotingscienceandtechnologytoyoungpeopleandwomeninparticular.

26Ministèredel’Éducationetdel’Enseignementsupérieur,Directiondesindicateursetdesstatistiques.27StatisticsCanada.28Seehttp://www.institutduquebec.ca/docs/default-source/recherche/8606_attirer-et-retenir-d-%C3%A9tudiants-intern_br_fr.pdf?sfvrsn=0.29Seehttp://www.montrealinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/MI-Consultation-Immigration-2017-2019.pdf.30TopUniversities.QSBestStudentCities2017.31Seehttps://www.nestpick.com/millennial-city-ranking-2018.32Seehttp://www.montrealinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/MI-Consultation-Immigration-2017-2019.pdf.

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dation12

2) Inordertoattractmorelocalandforeignstudents,wesuggestincreasingthevisibilityandtransparencyoftheresearchofferavailabletothem.Forexample,sharedandcentralized

informationwouldhelpstudentsfindprofessorstosupervisethemduringtheirgraduatestudies.

Atpresent,manystudentswhowishtodotheirgraduatestudieswithQuebecprofessors

recognizedworldwideinartificialintelligencearedeniedtheirapplicationsbecauseofthelimited

availabilityoftheseresearchers.Asharedshowcasewouldhavetheadvantageofdirectingthese

studentstootherexcellentresearchersinAI-relatedfieldsinQuebecand,ultimately,toenrich

theQuebecpoolofhighlyqualifiedtalentinAIandAI-applicationsresearch.

Recommendation12ofthisreportoutlinestheestablishmentofsuchashowcaseinmoredetail.

3) IfQuebecwantstoattractmorehighlyskilledlocalandforeignstudentswhoaredoingresearch

inAI-relatedfieldsandbecomeaworldleaderinsaidfields,werecommendincreasingthefundingavailabletostudentspursuingmaster’sdegree(master'sdegreeinresearch,professionalmaster'sdegree,diplomaofhigherspecializedstudies)anddoctoralstudiesintheseareas.Thisinitiativecouldincludethecreationofabursaryprogramaccessibletothebest

localandforeignstudentsstudyinginAI-relatedfields.Master’sdegreeanddiplomaofhigher

specializedstudies(DESS)studentscurrentlyreceivelittlefunding,buttheseprogramshavethe

advantageofrapidlyincreasingthenumberofstudentsenrolled,asstudentsarenotdirectly

supervisedbyaresearcher.Theobstacleofinsufficientresearchersthenbecomesmuchless

important.Theseprogramsalsoofferinternshipsthathelpsforeignstudentsdeveloprootsin

Quebec.Finally,bursariesofferedtoPhDstudentsinAI-relatedfieldsshouldservetoencourage

themnotonlytobegintheirstudies,butalsotocompletethem.

4) Finally,toretainforeignstudents,werecommendupgradingcurrentprogramssuchasthosedevelopedbyMontréalInternationalandQuébecInternationalaspartofthestrategy

establishedbytheministèredel’Immigration,delaDiversitéetdel’InclusionduQuebec,which

aimstoincreasethenumberofforeignstudentswhosettlepermanentlyinQuebecattheendof

theirstudies.Fortheseprograms,MontréalInternationalandQuébecInternationalreceived

grantsof$1.6Mand$0.2M,respectively,overthreeyears.Theenhancementoftheseprograms

couldincludetheofferoffreeFrenchcoursesforforeignstudentstofacilitateandpromotetheir

integrationandrootinginQuebec.

Asweconcludethisfirststrategicorientation,wemustkeepinmindthatattractinghighlyqualified

researchersinAIanditsapplicationswillfurtherenhancethereputationofMontrealandQuebecasa

wholeandattractmorelocalandforeignstudents.Theaimistocreateavirtuouscirclewheretheeaseof

accesstotalentedstudentswillattractrenownedresearchers.

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Develop digital science talents to meet Quebec’s needs

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12

Foreword

ThepreviousstrategicorientationaddressedtheneedtoensurethegrowthandsustainabilityoftheQuebecAIacademicresearchhub.Theriseofsucharesearchhubisparamountsinceitwillattractresearchersandhighlytalentedstudents.ItwillalsodrivethedevelopmentofatalentpoolindigitalsciencetomeettheneedsofQuebecemployers.SincemostresearchersandPhDandpostdoctoralstudentsteach,growthinthepoolofstudentsandfacultydoingresearchwillincreasethenumberandrelevanceofAI-relatedcoursesofferedatalllevels(college,university,in-housecorporatetrainingandtechnologytransferstakeholders),therebyhelpingtotraintheskilledworkforcethatQuebecrequires.

Inaddition,othermeasuresmustbeputinplacetomatchtrainingtoemploymentandsupporteducationalinstitutionsinupdatingtheirtrainingoffer.

> Recommendation 3: Develop and maintain through a “talent watch” a clear and comprehensive perspective on needs, gaps and opportunities regarding digital science ski l ls

FINDINGS

TheareasofAIsolutionandapplicationdevelopmentaregrowingandrequireanincreasinglyabundant,qualifiedanddiversifiedworkforce.However,wecurrentlyhavelittleknowledgeoftheexactsizeofthisworkforce,thespecificneedsoftheindustryintermsofjobprofilesandthenumberoftalentedpeopleinthedigitalscienceQuebecinstitutionsproduce.Afirstapproximationhasmadeitpossibletoestimatethatthetalentgapisatleast1,000graduatesperyear,anumberthatispotentiallysettoincreaseoverthemediumterm.Theneedfortalentedpeopleisobvious,but,currently,itisdifficulttodeterminetheexactnumberandpreciseskillsrequiredwithinbusinesses.

SUGGESTEDAPPROACH

Wedonotrecommendtrainingaspecificnumberofstudentsorcreatingaparticularprogram;weareoftheopinionthattheexactmagnitudeandnatureoftheneedsaretoounknowntogetspecificaboutnumbers.

Instead,wesuggestgettingabetterunderstandingoftheneedsoftalentedpeoplethroughouttheecosystemsothattheycanmobilizeandadaptquickly.Thistransparencyofneedsiscriticaltoenableeducationalinstitutionstomodifytheirtrainingofferingsaccordingly,employersadapttheirrecruitmentstrategyandstudentsinterestedininformaticsormathematicslearnmoreaboutopportunitiesintheseareas.

Toimprovethisperception,werecommendsettingupa“talentwatch”thatwouldhavethefollowingmandate:

1) Conductaprofessionalstudytoassessindustryneeds,currentsupplyandtrainingprogramsandidentifyfutureprofilesandestimatethecurrentandprojectedtalentgap.ToensuretransparencyaboutfutureprofilesinareasrelatedtoAI,wesuggestprofilesbemadeaccessibletostudents,thuspromotingtheirinterestinsectorswheretheneedisgreatest.


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SeeRecommendation12

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platform

2) Provideaquickoverviewofthecurrentofferofshort“conversion”programsandcontinuing

educationprograms;alertecosystemstakeholdersandthegovernmentifashortfallisidentified.

Thissecondpointisessentialtorapidlyincreasethemarket’slabourforcewithouthavingtowait

thethreeorfouryearsrequiredtotrainacohortofundergraduatestudents.Inotherwords,to

ensurethatnewgraduatesinscience,technology,engineeringandmathematics(STEM)

programs–whoalreadyhaveexcellentmathematicalliteracy–canquicklyconvertandoptfora

careerrelatedtoAIanddatascience.ThishasbeenSingapore’sapproachwithitsAI

Apprenticeship,anine-monthprogramthatincludesasix-monthindustryinternshipaimedat

providingpracticalknowledgeandAIworkexperiencetorecentgraduatesincomputerscience

andmathematics.Studentsarepaidbetween$2,000and$3,000amonthforthefulldurationof

theprogram.InitsAIstrategy,theU.K.hasalsooutlinedplanstostudythepotentialforaone-

year“conversion”master’sdegreeforSTEMgraduates,sothattheycanapplyAItotheir

respectivespecialties(e.g.,biomedicalsciencesandAI).Asthesegraduatesalreadyhavethe

fundamentalskillstoworkonAIapplications,theycouldbequickly“converted”toworkintheAI

field.

Inaddition,areviewofalltheAIandAI-relatedtrainingprogramsavailableshouldbeeasily

accessibletoecosystemstakeholderstohelpthemtoquicklyfindtheprogrambestadaptedto

theirneeds.Thislistingwouldincludetrainingprogramsatthecollegeanduniversitylevelbut

alsotheentirecontinuingeducationandonlinecourseofferings.Onthislastpoint,Quebec,as

partofitsPland’actionnumériqueenéducationetenenseignementsupérieur,hasalreadyexpressedinterestinsettingupan“eCampus,”anonlineplatformthatwouldlistalltheonline

coursesofferedbyQuebec’spost-secondaryinstitutionsandcouldpotentiallybecomeatrue

onlineeducationcollaborativecampus.Moreover,the“talentwatch”willneedtotieinwith

currentinitiatives,particularlytheeCampusproject,andoptimizeitsmarketingtomakeQuebec

educationmorevisibleinternationally.

3) Performcompetitiveintelligencebyobservingwhatisbeingdoneinternationallyintermsof

trainingoffersandmatchingtrainingtoemployment.

Werecommendthatthis“talentwatch”beplacedundertheresponsibilityofAI.Quebec(see

Recommendation11),supportedbyanexistingorganization(e.g.,TECHNOCompétences)whoseprimary

rolewillbetostudyneeds.AI.Quebecwillbesupportedbyacommitteeofstakeholdersfromeducational

institutionsandindustry,whowillprovidesupportandadvice,whilerigorouslyvalidatingthe

methodology,resultsandanalysis.Thepresenceofgovernmentleadershipwithinthewatchisessential

todemonstratetheseriousnessoftheprojectandensureactivememberparticipation.

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TalentprofilediversityinAIandAI-relatedfieldsInthisreport,wemakenorecommendationsastothenatureofthetrainingtoimplement,butwehave,throughinterviewswithecosystemstakeholders,identifiedvarioustypesofneeds.Figure4givesanon-exhaustiveviewofthedifferentprofilesweidentifiedduringthisfirstinitiative;theobjectivehereistoillustratethediversityofprofilesrequiredtomeetthegrowingneedsoftheartificialintelligenceecosystem,andmorebroadly,inthedigitalsciences.

Profilesfallintotwobroadcategories:artificialintelligenceanddigitalsciencespecialists,thatis,thosewhorequiretechnicalknowledgeintheseareas(e.g.,researchers,datascientists,machine-learningengineers)and“interface”stakeholders,whomusthaveanunderstandingoftheapplicationsandtransformationpotentialofartificialintelligenceandadvancedanalytics(e.g.,interfacescientists,translators).AlloftheseprofilescanbespreadoveraspectrumthatrunsfromR&DtotheuseandapplicationofAIsolutions.

Inlightoftheseefforts,itappearsthatsomeprofileswillrequirethecreationormodificationofcertainprograms,suchastheadditionofanintroductoryAIcourseforMBAstudents,forexample.Onthislastpoint,theFrenchgovernment,initssynthesisreportonFranceandAI,hasalreadytakenstepstoshiftcoursesbyannouncingtheintroductionofAImodulesinmanagementschoolstomakefuturebig

decisionsmakersawareofAIissues.33

33Seehttps://www.economie.gouv.fr/files/files/PDF/2017/Rapport_synthese_France_IA_.pdf.

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Figure4–IllustrationoftheprofilediversityrequiredintheAIecosystem

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> Recommendation 4: Support educational institutions in updating their training offerings

Establishinga“talentwatch”willbebeneficialforallecosystemstakeholders,includingeducationalinstitutions,whichcanuseittoreviewtheirprogramsaccordingly.Itisimportanttoensurealinkandatransparentdialoguebetweenthe“talentwatch”andeducationalinstitutions.Atthesametime,certainbarrierspreventuniversitiesandCEGEPsfrombeingflexibleandagileinupdatingtheirtrainingoffer.

FINDINGS

Currently,Quebec'scollegeanduniversityinstitutionsarestrugglingtoobtainthefinancialresourcestheyneedtoquicklyupdatetheirtrainingofferingstomeetchangingneeds.34However,theyhavebeguntorevisesomeoftheirtrainingprogramstoaddressthetalentgapinAI-relatedareas.UniversitédeMontréal,HECMontréal,PolytechniqueMontréalandMcGillUniversity,togetherwiththeMILA,arecommittedtocreatingnewprogramsbyofferingaprofessionalmaster'sdegreeandadiplomaofhigherspecializedstudiesinartificialintelligenceinSeptember2018.Thelatterofthetwoprogramsrunsforoneyear,includingafour-monthin-companyinternship.UniversitéLavalwillalsoofferaprofessionalmaster'sdegreeinAIbynextfall.CEGEPsarealsoparticipatinginthisshiftwiththedevelopmentofanAttestationofCollegeStudies(ACS)diplomaandaDiplomaofCollegeStudies(DCS)inAIatCollègeBois-de-Boulogne.

Quebecwillbenefitgreatlyfromtheseprograms,whichwillquicklytraintalentindigitalsciences;however,theyarenotlikelytomeettheprovince'sfulldemandforskilledlabour,whichissorelyneeded.EducationalinstitutionsmustactquicklytoaddintroductorycoursesinthedigitalandAIfieldstoalloftheirscience,technology,engineeringandmathematics(STEM)programsandcreateonlinecoursestosupportregionalstudenttraining,todevelopAIorientationsorconcentrationsincurrentundergraduateprogramsandbuildnewAIundergraduateprograms.Moreover,CEGEPsmustconsiderexpandingtheirtrainingofferingstomeettheoverallneedsofQuebec.Finally,asmentionedinthepreviousrecommendation,itiscrucialtoevaluatecurrentcontinuingeducationprogramsandshortconversionprogramsfornewSTEMgraduateswhocouldquicklyacquireknowledgeindatasciencesandAIandenterthejobmarket,allinlessthanayear.

ToensurethecreationofapoolofAItalent,QuebeceducationalinstitutionsmustreceivefinancialsupportfromtheQuebecgovernment.

Also,thetimerequiredtocreateorupdateAI-relatedandallSTEMprogramscurrentlyrangesfromtwotothreeyears,whichmeansthatitcanfiveyearsfromthebeginningofthereviewtothefirstcohortenteringthelabourmarket.

SUGGESTEDAPPROACH

1) Asafirststep,werecommendthatfinancialsupportbeprovidedtocollegesanduniversitiestosupporttheminupdatingtheirtrainingoffering.GiventheexponentialgrowthintheAIanddigitalindustries'needfortalent,itisimportanttoensurethattheinstitutionsthattrainthistalentwillhavethemeanstodoso.ThissupportcouldtaketheformofagovernmentbudgetaryenvelopeearmarkedtosupportQuebec'seducationalinstitutionsinupdatingtheirtrainingoffering.Theseinstitutionscouldsubmittheirneedstothegovernment,whichwouldmanagetheawardingofgrants.Thisgovernmentbudgetaryenvelopemustincludeadedicatedbudgetto

34Entrevuesavecdesacteursdel’écosystème.

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supportonlinecoursecreation,thebenefitsofwhichforQuebecareincludedinthisdocument’sAppendices.

2) WealsorecommendsimplifyingandspeedingupthegovernmentapprovalprocessfortrainingprogramsofferedbyQuebeceducationalinstitutionstoensuregreaterflexibilityandagilityinupdatingtheirtrainingofferingtomeetchangingneeds.ThegovernmenthasalreadymadecommitmentsonthisissuebyredesigningtheapprovalprocessforvocationalandtechnicaltrainingprogramsfortheQuebeccollegenetwork.Wealsosuggestthattheuniversityapprovalprocessbereviewed,asuniversitieswantandneedtorapidlyamendtheirtrainingofferingstomeetthegrowingneedforaskilledAIlabourforce.ToensurethatthetrainingprogramsmakesthebestpossibleuseoftheQuebecuniversityecosystem,wesuggestthatthisacceleratedprogramapprovalprocessbeappliedfirstandforemosttoprogramssubmittedjointlybytwouniversitiesormore.Interuniversitycollaborationshouldbepromotedtoreduceredundancies,ensurebaselinecoordinationbetweenuniversityprogramsandoffersubstantivetrainingprogramsthatmakeitpossibleforstudentstoaccessthedepartmentsandexpertiseatseveraluniversities.

> Recommendation 5: Promote mathematical l iteracy and the democratization of science

FINDINGS

Currently,thereisasignificantglobalshortageofdigitalandmathematicalsciencetalent.However,adirectlinkexistsbetweentheseskillsandartificialintelligence:excellentknowledgeofmathematicallanguageisnecessarytounderstanddatascienceandAIbasics.Therefore,feedingthepipelineinthesetwoareasmeansfeedingthepipelineinthemathematicalsciences.Tofillthistalentpool,wemustfirstandforemostmakeaQuebec-wideefforttodemocratizescienceandpromotetrainingandcareersinscience,technology,engineeringandmathematics(STEM)toyoungpeople.ThismovementwillreapbenefitsnotonlyinthedigitalandAIfields,butalsoinallSTEMtrainingprogramsandfuturecareers.

Theunder-representationofwomenisanotableissueinSTEMstreamsthatmustbeaddressed.AccordingtoareportbyTDBank’sChiefEconomist,althoughwomenarebetterrepresentedinthephysicalandlifesciences,theyaccountforonly20%ofengineeringgraduatesand25%ofcomputerscienceandmathematicsgraduates,despitethefactthatthesefieldsaccountformorethanthree-quartersofSTEMjobs.35Indeeplearning,theproportionofwomenisevenlower,ataround10%.36

Anotherfinding:Today,inQuebec,about21%ofthepopulationdisplaysthelowestlevelofmathematicalliteracy,alevelcorrespondingtotheabilitytoperformsimplemathematicaloperationsusuallyinvolvingasinglestep,andonlyonein10Quebecershavehighmathematicalliteracyskills.37GiventherapidgrowthofAIanddigitaltechnologies,theworkersoftomorrowwillbecalledupontousemoreandmoreAI-baseddigitaltools.Therefore,itisessentialtoensurethattheentireQuebecworkforcehasasufficientlyhighlevelofmathematicalliteracytobeabletoacceptandusethesetools.

35Caranci,B.(2017).LesfemmesenSTGM–Comblerl'écart.36Interviewwithecosystemstakeholders.37Desrosiers,H.etautres(2015).Lescompétencesenlittératie,ennumératieetenrésolutiondeproblèmesdansdesenvironnementstechnologiques–DesclefspourreleverlesdéfisduXXIesiècle.RapportquébécoisduProgrammepourl’évaluationinternationaledescompétencesdesadultes(PEICA),Quebec,InstitutdelastatistiqueduQuebec.

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WiththesupportofstakeholdersliketheGovernmentsofQuebecandCanada,manyorganizationsandinitiatives(e.g.,theBoîteàscienceoftheCapitale-NationaleandChaudière-Appalachesregions,theAssociationpourl’enseignementdelascienceetdelatechnologieauQuebec,theAmbassadeursscientifiquesduCentrededéveloppementdelarelèvescientifiqueettechnologiqueproject)arehelpingQuebecers,particularlyyoungpeople,betterappreciateandunderstandSTEM,aswellaspromotingsuccessionplanninginthiscriticalareaforthefutureofAI.Forexample,inthecomingyears,thelatesteditionoftheMESI'sNovaScienceprogramwillmakepossible36projectsaimedatenrichingscienceandtechnologyactivitiesforvocational,collegeandundergraduatestudents,raisingawarenessamongelementary,secondaryandadulteducationstudentsanddevelopingprofessionalpracticesamongscienceandtechnologyteachersinelementary,secondaryandpre-universitycolleges.In2016-2017,NovaSciencelaunchedmorethantwodozenawarenessandtrainingprojects,threeofwhich,conductedaspartnerships,werespecificallydesignedtoincreaseinterestinSTEMingirlsandwomen.

Thatbeingsaid,whereSTEMpromotionisconcerned,thereisaclearneedforcollaboration,scalingupandsharingofbestpracticesacrossQuebec

SUGGESTEDAPPROACH

TheGovernmentsofQuebecandCanadaalreadysupport,throughtheiractionsandvariousprograms,thedevelopmentofafutureworkforcethatcanbetterunderstandandmeetthechallengesofSTEM-relatedissues.Aspartofthe2017-2022QuébecResearchandInnovationStrategy–DaringtoInnovate(Stratégiequébécoisedelarechercheetdel’innovation20172022–Oserinnover),theQuebecgovernmenthasdecidedtostrengthentheNovaScienceprogrambyinjectinganadditional$7.55Mby2021-2022.

Ourrecommendationisnottoreinventthewheel,butrathertobetterhighlightandcollaborateonthe

maininitiativesundertakeninmathematicalliteracyandSTEM-careerpromotionandincreasetheir

impactbyensuringoptimalconsultationbetweenexistingorganizations.

Wesuggestthatanecosystemstakeholderbegiventhetaskofcoordinatingcurrentscience,technologyandmathematicalliteracypromotioninitiativestoincreasefirepoweracrossQuebec.Quebecneedssuchanentitytoleveragetheappropriatemeansandmeettheneedsofthoseresponsibleforexistinginitiativesintermsofintegration,consultation,evaluation,expansionandbestpracticesharing.Australiaestablishedsuchabodyin2002withtheAustralianMathematicalSciencesInstitute(seecasestudy).

WestressthatthesupportofsuchanentityinQuebecwouldhaveapositiveimpactontheAIanddatasciencefieldaswellasonallSTEM-relatedfieldsinwhichQuebechasopportunitytoexcel,forexample,videogamesandvirtualreality,statisticalbiology,preventativemedicine,finance,economicsandengineering.

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CASESTUDY

TheAustralianMathematicalSciencesInstitute(AMSI)wascreatedtostrengthen

collaborationandconsultationregardingthepromotionanddemocratizationof

mathematicsandsciencewithinAustraliansociety.TheAMSI'smissionistodramatically

improvethemathematicalskil ls andcompetenciesofAustralians, includingsupportfor

high-levelmathematicseducationforyoungpeople,bygrowingthenumberofstudents

inthefieldwhoareproficientinmathematical l iteracyatthepost-secondarylevel,

supportingresearchinthemathematicalsciencesandimprovingtheexperienceof

mathematicsstudentsattheuniversitylevel.

AMSIoperatesonthreefronts:researchandhighereducation,schooleducationand

industrycollaboration.AmongthemanyprogramsdevelopedbytheInstitutesinceits

creation,ChooseMathsisanationalprogramthathasreceived$22Minfundingoverf ive

yearsfromtheBHPBil l itonFoundation.ChooseMathsaimstochangethepublic's

perceptionofwomeninmathandsciencecareers.Toachievethis, theprogramplansto

developmathematicseducationin120Australianschoolsandaddresourcesinall of

theseinstitutions,establishanationalcareerpromotioncampaigninmathematical

sciences,createanetworkof“inspiringwomeninmathematics”andhandouttheBHP

Bil l itonFoundationforExcellenceinTeachingandLearningMathematicsannualawards.

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Accelerate the development and adoption of AI solutions

within Quebec’s economic fabric

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Foreword

QuebeccurrentlyhastheopportunitytohelpcreatecompaniesdestinedtomakeamarkintheAIsector.

However,manybarriershinderthelaunchofsuchstart-upsabletoexpandrapidlyorsuccessfully

integrateAIintoSME’smore“conventional”ITproductsandservices.Forexample,thecurrentmarketing

ecosystemdoesnotallowQuebecstart-upstoeffectivelymarkettheirAIproductstoQuebeccompanies.

Similarly,manyobstaclescurrentlypreventmanyQuebeccompaniesactiveintheprimary,secondaryand

tertiarysectorsfromtakingadvantageofemergingAIinnovations.Forexample,manycompaniesdonot

fullyunderstandthepotentialofAIontheiractivitiesandprocessesandhavedifficultydefiningtheirown

needs.ThechallengeisevengreaterforSMEsthatdonothaveeasyaccesstoacademicresourcesand

consultingfirmsthatcanhelpthemunderstandthepowerofAIandmakelogicaltechnologychoices.

Below,weoutlinethreerecommendationstofacilitateboththemarketingandadoptionofAI

applicationsacrossQuebec'sindustrialfabric.

Lastly,astheecosystemiscomplexandconstantlyevolving,itisdifficultforcompaniestoworkwithinit

andfindsuitablepartners.Facilitatingstakeholdernetworkingbetweenresearchers,designers,usersand

businessadvisersiscriticalandwillbecoveredinthefifthstrategicorientationofthisreport.

> Recommendation 6: Support Quebec businesses that design AI solutions, including start-ups, so they can develop, grow and remain in Quebec

FINDINGS

Inthecurrenttechnologicalenvironment,thekeytoeconomicsuccessistoensurethatnewbusinesses

taketheplaceofbusinessesthatwillbephasedoutandthatthe“winners”enjoyconditionsthatpromote

theirgrowthinQuebec.

Quebecmustcreateandretaintheeconomicvaluegeneratedbynewtechnologiestooffsetjoblosses

associatedwiththeproductivitygainsthesetechnologiesgenerate,whilealsoattractingforeign

investment.

ThecurrentecosystemofAIapplicationcreatorsincludesanumberofpromisingstart-upsthathave

securedfundinglocallyandinternationally.QuebeccompanieslikeElementAIandHopperraised$102M

and$82Mrespectivelyintheirlastroundoffinancing.Quebec’s(andmorespecificallyMontreal’s)

venturecapitalecosystemisdoingwell.In2017,Montrealbusinessesinallsectorsraised~$800Mwithin

thescopeof63transactions,aheadofToronto($779M).Start-upfundsandbusinessincubatorsthat

favourAIstart-upsarebeingsetup.Forexample,theQuebecgovernmenthassupportedCreation

DestructionLab(CDL)andNextAI,twogovernment-backedorganizations,tothetuneof$10Minits2018EconomicPlan.Montreal’sCreationDestructionLabwantstosupportninecohortsofabout25AIstart-

upsoverthenextthreeyears.NextAIisa225-hourtrainingprogramthatenablesstudents,professionals

andentrepreneurstodevelopandimplementAI-basedideas.

ThefundinggapduringgrowthphasesinCanadanotedbytheAdvisoryCouncilonEconomicGrowth

seemstobeclosing.InitiativessuchastheVentureCapitalCatalystInitiative(CCRI)andtheCanadian

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BusinessGrowthFund(BGF),withsomeoftheirfundingwhichwillbeinvestedinQuebec,attemptto

meetthisneed.Bothofthesefundsareexpectedtocontributemorethan$1Bnationally(overafive-to

10-yearperiod).Also,investmentfundsdedicatedtotechcompanygrowthcapitalaresettobe

announcedshortly,includingtheNordaCapitalfund.

However,therearestillmajorchallengestoovercome:

1) Accesstodata:AIapplicationdevelopmentrequiresmassiveamountsofgooddata.Today,the

largestmassesofdataareheldbylargecorporationsandthegovernment.Andyetdataisthe

mostvitalinput–therawmaterial–oftheemergingeconomy.AIcompanies’lackofaccessto

thesedatabasesisafactorthatlimitsthedevelopmentoftheirbusinessactivities.

2) Accesstocomputinginfrastructures:AIapplicationdevelopmentrequiresconsiderable

computingpower.WhileQuebechasmajorcomputinginfrastructures,suchasCalculQuébec,

theyaremainlyusedforuniversityresearch,andaccesstothemislimitedforstart-ups(thisissue

willbediscussedlaterunderRecommendation10).

3) LackofAItalent:Asisthecaseforotherstakeholdersintheecosystem(universities,research

centres,etc.),accesstotalentiscurrentlyamajorchallengeforstart-ups.Theaddedchallenge

forentrepreneursistheneedtofindsalesandmarketingtalent;theserolesrequirebothabasic

knowledgeofAIandathoroughknowledgeofthepotentialclientbase.

4) Lackofalocalmarket:Localstart-upsmustoftenseekinternationalcustomersbecauseofthe

lackofmajor“firstcustomers”inQuebec,thatis,anchoringorganizationswiththeinterest,

meansandmaturitytoworkwithlocalstart-ups.

SUGGESTEDAPPROACH

Phaseno1:EnsureAIdevelopmentcompanieshaveaccesstoworkabledatabasesfromthepublicandprivatesectors

Quebec'sresearchcentres,start-upsandSMEswillrequirelargeamountsofdatatoproducetheAItools

thatwillhelpdevelopQuebec’seconomy.

TheissueofAIdataisdecisivesinceapplicationdevelopmentinthisfieldrequiresmassiveamountsof

gooddata.AsaChinesefinancierpointedout,inAI“themoredatayouhave,thebetteryourproduct;the

betteryourproduct,themoredatayoucancollect;themoredatayoucollect,themoreyoucanattract

talent;themoretalentyoucanattract,thebetteryourproductwillbe.It'savirtuouscycle[...].”38

Unfortunately,thisindispensablerawmaterialisoftenverydifficulttoaccess.Fewcountrieshavelarge

companiesthat,likeGoogle,Amazon,FacebookorBaidu(theChineseGoogle),haveaccesstoalmost

infiniteamountsofdatathankstotheirhundredsofmillionsofcustomer-users.Start-upsandSMEsthat

areactiveinAIwouldbenefitgreatlyfromtheopennessofdatacollectivelyheldbycompaniesinsectors

suchastransportationorinsurance.However,forfearofweakeningtheircompetitiveadvantage,these

sectorsaregenerallyreluctanttosharetheirdata.

AIfirmsaroundtheworldalsooftenhavedifficultyaccessingdatafromnationalorsub-national

governments,whichareamongthe“richest”datasources.Sometimesgovernmentagencieswouldliketo

makepublicdataavailabletocompanies,suchasthoseintheAIsector,todevelopproductsandservices

ofbenefittosocietyasawhole,buttheycannotdosowithoutadequatelytakingintoaccounttherights

38Seehttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/24/opinion/sunday/artificial-intelligence-economic-inequality.html.

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andwishesofitscitizens.TheBritishpublichealthauthorityandGoogleDeepMindlearnedthislessonthehardwayaftersharingtherecordsof1.6millionpatientswithouttheirknowledge.39

Intheend,therelativescarcityofdataavailabletoQuebec'sstart-upsandSMEscouldaffecttheirinternationalcompetitivenessandtheirabilitytohelpdevelopQuebec’seconomy.

Therearewaysaroundthismajorhurdle,however.Forexample,countrieslikeGreatBritain(seecasestudybelow)haveconsideredcreatingdatatruststoensurebetterdisseminationanduseofthedatacompanieshold.Inshort,thesecountriesplantosupport:

• Thepoolingofdataheldbyaparticularsetoforganizations(e.g.,companiesandorganizationsactiveinaspecificsectorofactivitysuchashealth)ontheiractivities,“customers”(whetherthesearecitizens,patientsorconsumers)orotherpoints.

• Themanagementandcirculationofthesedataundercertainconditions(e.g.,theirprioranonymisationandexclusiveusefornewmodeltraining),whichwouldnotonlybeestablishedbytheparticipatingorganizations,butalsobythepeoplewhosedataisconcerned(e.g.,transitortaxiserviceuser,hospitalorclinicpatient).

Trustsshouldhavetheresourcesnecessaryfortheeffectivemanagementanduseofthedataundertheircontrol,aswellastheprotectionoftheinterestsofallpartiesinvolvedinthesharingofsuchdata(e.g.,healthfacilities,patients,researchersandAIcompanies).

CASESTUDY

IntheBritishreportGrowingtheArtif icial Intell igenceIndustryintheUK , theissueofdataaccessibil ity isdeemedimportant.Thereport’sthreerecommendationsonthispointare:

–Developdatatrusts,whicharesecuredatabanks,tofacil itatetheexchangeofsensitivedatawhileensuringtrust inthedatasharingprocess.

–Producemoredatafromresearchactivitiesthatmachinesareabletoprocess.

–Promotedatamininginall industrial sectorstoencouragecompaniestoleveragedata.

Thedatatrusts,whichconsistofsecuredatasharingbetweenmultipleparties,hasthegreatestpotential. Atpresent,thesesharingagreementsareadhoc, andorganizationsdonotalwaysknowhowtogoaboutsharingsensitivedata.TheUKreportthereforerecommendedthatthegovernmentandcompaniesformoneentity,theDataTrustSupportOrganization,whoserolewouldbetoestablishbestpracticesforsharingdataandprovideall publicandprivateorganizationswithausermanualguaranteeingasecureprocess(templates,securedatatransferprocess,etc.)

IntheirAIstrategy,allcountrieswanttomakebetteruseoftheStateasasignificantassettohelpbusinessesaccessthedatatheyneedtobuildsuccessfulapplications.Asmentionedabove,FinlandhasmadeopendatafromFinnishministriesandagencies,anditsuse,apriority.

39Seehttps://www.courrierinternational.com/article/royaume-uni-google-acces-aux-dossiers-medicaux-de-16-million-de-patients.

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Currently,datacollectedbytheQuebecgovernmentandQuebecmunicipalitiesisoftenverydifficulttoaccess.A2016CEFRIOstudyconductedbyÉcolenationaled’administrationpublique(ENAP)researchersshowsthat“despitetheenthusiasmithasgeneratedoverthepastfewyearsattheinternationallevel,opendatamostlyremainsanemergingphenomenoninQuebec.”40Atthetimeoftheliaisonandtransfercentre’sstudy,only17%ofmunicipalitieshadreleaseddata,comparedwith60%oftheQuebecgovernment’sministriesand28%ofitsagencies.

However,thesepercentagesconcealimportantfacts.First,inthe12monthspriortotheCEFRIOsurvey,noneoftheQuebecministrieshadreleasedmorethanfivedatasetsandonly10%oftheagencieshaddoneso.41Second,amongthegovernmentorganizationsthathadnotyetreleaseddata,veryfewwereplanningtodosowithin12monthsofthestudy.Moreover,manygovernmentcomputersystemsdonotallowformachineaccessorautomaticaccesstoministryoragencydata,andfewofthesedata(lessthan15%oftheoveralltotal)areautomaticallyupdated,twocharacteristicsthatmakethemlessattractiveandlessusefulforcompaniesandresearchersworkingintheAIsector.

Accordingtothesurvey,Quebecgovernmentministriesandagenciescitethelackofgoodorrelevantopendataasthereasontheyhavenotyetreleaseddata.Insomecases(especiallyintheministries),theproblemisthedataistoosensitive.“Weobserve,”sayENAPresearchers,“thattheassessmentofthevalueandrelevanceofopendataisnotalwaysasstrongonthesideoftheoriginalownerastheprospectiveuser.”42 ».

AccordingtotheauthorsoftheQuebecreport,thereleaseofgovernmentdataisnotyetapriorityforallministries,agenciesandmunicipalities,afactthatisreflectedinthelackofinvestmentsandeffortsmadeinopendata.Thus,inthe12monthsprecedingthesurvey,58%ofdepartmentsand83%oforganizationshadinvestedlessthan$25,000(excludinghumanresourcescosts)intheopendataproject.And,onaverage,theannualinvestmentsinopendataforministriesandagencieswerelessthan50person-days.

Therefore,dataisthekeyinput–the“rawmaterial”–oftheneweconomythatisemerging.LackofaccesstoqualitydatabasesforQuebecAIdesigncompaniescouldbeafactorthatlimitsthedevelopmentoftheircommercialactivities.ThegovernmentwillhavearoletoplayincreatingfertilegroundforAicompanies.

Thedevelopmentofinitiativestoremovesomeobstaclesfromtheprocess,suchassettingupaworkingcommitteewhich,underthecoordinationoftheministryofFinance,haslookedatthegeneraldatabankaccessprocessforresearchpurposes.However,wewillhavetodomoreinthecomingyearstosupportthedevelopmentoftheAIsector.

Therefore,wesuggesttwomajorcoursesofactiontosignificantlyincreaseaccesstodataforQuebec'sAIstakeholders:

1) First,werecommendthatthegovernmentparticipateinthecreationofapoolofanonymizeddatainspecificsectors,suchashealthortransportation,incollaborationwithlargecompaniesandotherdataholders,suchasmunicipalities.AccesstothesedatabasescouldbegiventoAIstart-upsandecosystemresearchers,whichwouldinturnbenefitlargecompaniesandthegovernment,astheywillbeabletoimprovetheirproductsandservicesthroughtheapplicationsdeveloped(seetheUKdatatrustcasestudyabove).

40Seehttps://cefrio.qc.ca/media/uploader/RAPPORTNETGOUVDONNESOUVERTES-Final.pdf.41Ibid.42Seehttps://cefrio.qc.ca/media/uploader/RAPPORTNETGOUVDONNESOUVERTES-Final.pdf.

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Thegovernanceofthesedatatrustswillbeapriorityissuetobeaddressedduringtheplanning

phase.Itisimperativetoquestionthesovereigntyofourdataandtheresponsibilityofthe

Quebecgovernmenttomakethemaccessibleanddeploythemtoincreasethecollectivewell-

being.Beforeimplementinglarge-scaledatatrusts,itwillbevitaltostudytheinsandoutsofthe

conceptandvalidatetheirapplicationinoneortwoindustrialsectors.Thesetaskscouldbe

entrustedjointlytoAI.QuebecandtheobservatoryonresponsibleAIandtheimpactsofAI(see

Recommendations9and11).

2) Then,werecommendthattheQuebecgovernmentmakethereleaseofopendatacollectedbyallpublicandparapublicsectororganizationsarealpriorityforeconomicdevelopment.Inparticular,thegovernmentshould:

a)Intheshortterm,forsharingandusepurposes,reinforceQuebec'sopendatapolicies

sothatitappliestoallitsministries.ThemodeldevelopedbytheSOQUIJ(seethecase

studyunderRecommendation8)couldserveasabasisforthisreinforcementwork,

sinceitreflectstherealitiesofanorganizationthatreportstoaQuebecministryand

wishestoinnovatethroughtheuseofAI.

b)Overthelongerterm,amendtheActRespectingAccesstoDocumentsHeldbyPublicBodiesandtheProtectionofPersonalInformation,notonlytopromotetheadoptionof

AIbythegovernment,butalsotogivetheecosystemtheopportunitytouse

anonymizedopendatainitsownapplicationdevelopment.Quebechasrichdatabases

inthehealthsector.Addressingquestionsregardingtheiropeningmustbemadea

priority.Clearly,arigorousbutagileprocessneedstobeimplementedtoavoid

problemsandpotentialleaksofsensitiveinformation(seeStrategicdirection4).

Thegovernment’sdualrole…Thegovernment,asanimportanteconomicandsocialplayerinQuebec,mustadoptbestpracticesand

actboldlytoopenupitsdatatopromotetheiruseforthebenefitofallQuebecers,whichwillinturn

drivethedevelopmentofnewapplicationsbyandforQuebec.Thisaccesstodatadoesnotinanyway

removetheQuebecgovernment’sresponsibilityregardingprivacyprotection.However,inadditionto

privacyconsiderations,thegovernmentisnowresponsibleforrollingoutandpromotingdataforthe

commongood.

Phaseno2:Developa“firstcustomer”marketforecosystemstart-upsbysubsidisingQuebecbusinessAIprojects

ToencourageQuebeccompaniestodobusinesswithstart-upsthatare

developingAIsolutions,werecommendtheQuebecgovernmentearmarka

budgetenvelope,inthespiritofSingapore'sSMEsGoDigitalprogramandthe

FinnishGovernment’sInnovationVouchers,43whilerespectingQuebec'strade

agreements.Thisgovernmentassistancewouldhelpsupportcompaniesthat

developAIsolutions,includingstart-ups,whilepromotingthedigitalshifttocompaniesthatarepartof

themoretraditionalsectorsofQuebec’sindustrialfabric.ForlargerQuebecstart-upprojectswithaprice

43Seehttps://www.businessfinland.fi/en/for-finnish-customers/services/funding/sme/innovation-voucher/.

$100Mfund

financing

priority

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tagover$500,000,projectexpensesmaybeeligibleforR&Dtaxcredits,whichwouldcreatesignificant

IncentiveforcompaniesthathaveaheadofficeinQuebecandareofaminimumsize(tobedetermined

whentheprogramisdevelopedindetail).SuchinitiativescouldalsoenticeentrepreneurstoQuebec.

Sometaxcreditsarealreadyavailable,likethosethatsubsidizeprivatepartnershippre-competitive

researchortheintegrationofITinSMEs.

AsubsidyprogramtopromotetheshifttoAIwouldevolveasfollows:

• First,thegovernmentwouldallocateabudgetenvelopeforthisprogramthatcouldbe

managedbyanNPOthatcanfacilitatenetworking(e.g.,Prompt).Thisenvelopecould

beusedtoimproveonexistingtaxcredits.

• Next,theNPOwouldactasafacilitatorwithintheindustrialnetworktohelpcompanies

identifythebestpartnerstomeettheirneeds.Forthesakeoftransparency,thelistof

alltheAIcompaniesthatdesignsolutionscouldbeconsultedonthegovernment

programwebsiteortheAI.Quebecplatform.TheNPOwouldalsoofferfinancial

structuringservicesthatmeetthegovernmenttaxcreditcriteria.

• AIcustomerslookingtomodernizeorimprovetheirproductsandservicescouldcontact

thesecompaniesdirectlytoassesstheirneeds,knowingthatsomeoftheprojectcosts

wouldbecoveredbyataxcredit.

Atthefederallevel,werecommendthattheIndustrialResearchAssistanceProgram(IRAP),managedby

theNationalResearchCouncil(NRC),beenhancedtoincreasethenumberofAIprojects.Throughthis

program,NRCpromotesthedevelopment,adoptionandadaptationoftechnologieswithinCanadian

SMEs.IRAPhasteamsofIndustrialTechnologyAdvisors(ITAs)thatassesstheneedsofSMEs.ThisSME

consultinganddiagnosticservicebranchshouldhavecloselinkswithinstitutionssuchastheMILA–

QuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstituteandIVADO.

Phaseno3:Makeiteasierforinnovativedigitalscienceand,especially,AIcompaniestoaccesspubliccontracts

Positioningthegovernmentorapublicorparapublicsectorcompanyasachampionoramodeluser

wouldhaveacatalyticeffectonQuebec'sAIecosystem.Tothisend,webelieveitisimportantforthegovernmenttocontinuemakingstrategicprocurementimprovements(asperRecommendation6oftheCCEI),tomakeiteasierforinnovativeserviceproviderstoaccesspubliccontracts.

Despitewhatissometimesheard,itseemsobviousthatthecurrentnormativeframeworkdoesnot

includea“lowestbidder”policyandthatQuebecpublicbodieschoosetheadjudicationmethodbest

suitedtotheirneeds.Moreover,inrecentyears,thisframeworkhasbeenenhancedtoallowpublic

organizationstousenewapproachesortoolsinthedigitaldomain(e.g.,cloudcomputing,totalnet

acquisitioncost,competitivedialogueprocedures)thatofferincreasedprocurementflexibility.The

Quebecgovernmenthasrecentlyimplementedmeasuresthatpromotethedevelopmentoftechnology

companiesandinnovationintegrationinministryandagencyprocurementprocesses(e.g.,Passeport

Innovationprogram,theStratégiegouvernementaleentechnologiedel’informationGovernmentandthe

reversetechnologyshowcase).TheAIecosystemanditsfuturecoordinatingbodywillneedtoworkin

closecollaborationwithQuebec’snewpublicprocurementsupportoffice,whichQuebecgovernmentset

upinaccordancewiththe2017reportoftheComitédetravailsurl’entrepreneuriatdesjeunes

entreprises.

However,theQuebecgovernmentshouldcontinuetoexplorenewavenuestohelpitsministriesand

agenciesgetthesupporttheyneedtomeettheoften-complexchallengestheyface,andforwhichno

single,ready-madesolutionexists,fromstart-upsandSMEsactiveinemergingdigitalsectorslikeAI.In

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particular,theQuebecgovernmentshouldstudythemeritsofadaptingtheU.S.SmallBusinessInnovationResearch(SBIR)programorthefederalInnovativeSolutionsCanadainitiative.

InnovativeSolutionsCanadaisa$100millionprogramthataimstostimulatetheexpansionandgrowthofCanadianinnovatorsandentrepreneursbymakingthefederalgovernmentthenumberoneclientforCanadianinnovations.Intotal,20federaldepartmentsandagencieshavesetasideaportionoftheirbudgettofundinnovativesolutionscreatedbyCanadiansmallbusinesses.ThisfederalprogramshouldbeactivelypromotedtoinnovativecompaniesinQuebecasagatewaytothepublicsector.

Phaseno4:SupportthedevelopmentofAIstart-upsbysubsidizingcertainmarketingexpenses,ratherthanR&Dalone

Existinggrantprogramsmustincludecertainmarketing-relatedexpenses,whichareexcludedfromthescientificresearchandexperimentaldevelopmenttaxcredits(R&D)taxcredits.Forexample,aportionofthesalariesofkeymarketingpersonnelmaybeeligible.Inanexportcontext,someoftheseexpensesarecoveredbygovernmentprograms.Forexample,theExportProgram,wherethehiringofanexportspecialistorthecostofattendinginternationaltradefairsiseligibleforfinancialassistance.Thesemeasurescouldbeadoptedwithinabroadermarketdevelopmentframework.Therefore,werecommendthatthegovernmentreviseitsgrantprogramstoincludecertainexpensesrelatedtomarketingactivities.

Ingeneral,thegovernmenthasaplethoraofhigh-qualityprogramsforinnovativecompaniesandbusinessesinallsectorslookingtomakeadigitalshift.TheseprogramsincludetheAuditIndustrie4.0Auditformanufacturingcompanies,thePerforMEstrategyandthePasseportInnovationProgram,whichbringtogetherseveralmeasurestohelpQuebecbusinesses.However,mostcompaniesdonotseemawareoftheseprograms,sotheyarenotbeingleveragedtotheirfullpotential.Toincreasethevisibilityofalltheseprograms,wesuggestthattheybelistedonacommonplatformaccessibletoallbusinesses,suchasEntreprisesQuebec.44

CASESTUDY

InSingapore,thegovernmenthasincreaseditsSMEdigitalprojectf inancingprogramstosupportincreasinglysophisticatedneeds, includingAI. Thistypeofprogramwouldbeidealforcreatinga“firstcustomer”marketforourAIdesignfirms,whileenablingtraditionalbusinessestogodigital.

TheiSPRINTprogram,launchedin2010,aimedtoencourageSMEmodernizationbyofferingagrantofupto70%ofthecostofbuyingandimplementingdigitalsolutionspre-approvedbythegovernment,uptoamaximumof$1MperSME.Start-upsorcompanieswithinthelocalecosystemprovidethesesolutions,therebygettingaccesstotheirf irstcustomers.ThisnetworkingbetweenprivatecompaniesalsoreducesSME’sdependenceontechnologytransferNPOs.

Thenewversionofthisprogramcalled“SMEsGoDigital”waslaunchedin2017andhelpsthesecompaniesreachamoreadvancedlevelofdigitization.Theprogramnowcaterstocompaniesbeyondthefirstdigitalprojectstage.Pre-approvedsolutionsnowincludeadvancedformsofadvancedanalytics,suchasAI. Thisprogramhasalreadyenabledmore44Seehttps://www2.gouv.qc.ca/entreprises/portail/quebec.

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than100SMEsadoptdigitalsolutions,whichhavegeneratedmorethanUS$2.4Mfortheprogram’spre-approvedlocalsuppliers.Moreover,tohelpcompaniesnavigatemorecomplexdigitalnotions,thegovernmenthassetupaSMEDigitalTechHubtoofferconsultinganddiagnosticservicesaswell asSMECentres,pointsofcontactforSingaporeanSMEs.Finally,thisnewprogramprioritizeslarge-scaleprojectsinkeysectorsoftheir industryaswell ascorporatecollaboration.

IAandintellectualpropertyTodeveloptheQuebecAIsector,theissueofintellectualpropertyneedstobecarefullyconsidered.Inthecomingyears,manystart-upsandinnovationswillemergefromresearchconductedinuniversitylaboratoriesorcolleges.

However,thetransferofintellectualpropertytotheindustrialsectorpresentssignificantchallenges.TheauthorsoftheU.K.AIstrategynotethatspin-offisapracticesomeresearchinstitutionsarebetteratthanothers(amongotherthings,notallinstitutionshavethecapacitytoworkatthepacecompaniesexpect).Theyaddthatstakeholdersexperienceothercommonproblems.Asaresult,determiningthereturnforeachofthepartiesinvolvedinatransferagreementisusuallyacomplexandcontentiousprocess.

Therefore,itwillbeimportanttoensureitbecomeseasierforexistingentrepreneursorbusinessestomakeefficientandrapiduseoftheintellectualpropertydevelopedbyresearchersanduniversityandcollegestudentsinQuebec.

Newstrategiesandapproachescouldbedevelopedtomakethetransferrulesforintellectualpropertyheldbyuniversitiesandcollegesmoretransparentandconsistent.ItmightalsobeagoodideatocreateacentralizedgroupofexpertswhoserolewouldbetohelpresearchcentresandcompaniesinQuebec,particularlysmallones,understandintellectualpropertyissuesandcarryouttransactionsthatwouldbeofbenefittothevariousparties.

ToimproveQuebec'sIPenvironment,ecosystemstakeholderswillneedtoleveragetherecentinjectionof$85.3MoverfiveyearsannouncedbytheGovernmentofCanadainitsIntellectualPropertyStrategy,“tohelpCanadianbusinesses,creators,entrepreneursandinnovatorsunderstand,protectandaccessintellectualproperty(IP)throughacomprehensiveIPStrategy.”45

> Recommendation 7: Ensure future private sector AI users receive adequate support

FINDINGS

Contrarytowhatsomepeoplemaythink,gettingthemostoutofAIisdifficult,inthesamewayit’shardtotakefulladvantageofIT.

AsresearchersattheUniversityofTorontohavenoted,“AIisageneral-purposetechnology.Ithasthepotentialtoaffecteverydecision,becausepredictionisakeyinputtodecisionmaking.Hence,no

45Seehttps://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/108.nsf/eng/home.

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managerisgoingtoachievelargegainsinproductivitybyjust“throwingsomeAI”ataproblemorintoan

existingprocess.Instead,AIisthetypeoftechnologythatrequiresrethinkingprocesses.”46

However,reviewinganorganization'sprocessesindepthrequiresexpertiseandtheinvolvementofall

staffmembers.“Datascientistscandevelopusefulalgorithms,butdomainexpertsareneededtohelp

trainthemachinetorecognizeimportantpatternsandunderstandnewdata.Domainexpertsincludetop

analysts,contractmanagers,salespeople,recruiters,andotherspecialistswhoarenotonlyexpertsat

theirjobsbutwhoareacutelyawareofhowtheydeliverexcellence.”ForAItotrulybealever,says

technologyspecialistJeanneRoss,“itmustimproveontheskillsofthesespecialists.Responsibilitiesmust

alsoberedefinedsothattheyareempoweredandmotivatedtorolloutmachineswhentheybelieve

doingsowillimproveresults.Ultimately,youneedpeoplewhocanuseprobabilisticoutputtoguide

actionsthatmakeyourcompanymoreeffective.”47

ManyQuebeccompanieswillrequiresupporttomakethisshift.Indeed,fewofthem(especiallySMEs)

currentlyhavetheknowledgeneededtoimplementthetechnicalandsocio-organizational

transformationsonwhichtobuildaneffectiveuseofAI.

DirectandindirectsupporttocompaniesthatdesignAIsolutionswillbethefirststeptoensurethe

transferoftechnologiesdevelopedinourresearchcentresandleverageQuebec’sdata.Inadditionto

beingneweconomicdriversintheirownright,thesestart-upswillhelplocalSMEsandlargecompanies

integrateAIintotheirprocessesandbusinessmodels.

OthercompaniesarealsomobilizingtosupportpotentialAIusers,withconsultingfirmsincreasingly

involvedintheAIsectortohelptheircustomerstakeownershipofthetechnology.Moreover,leadersof

companiessuchasThalesCanadawanttoestablishpracticecommunitiestopromotepeerlearningand,

onanotherlevel,developcommontechnologyroadmapsthroughwhichtocommunicateneedstothe

localAIecosystem.

Nevertheless,othertechnologytransferchannelswillhavetobeconsideredtoensureAI’sadoption

throughoutthelocalindustrialsector.Forexample,IVADO,MILAandSCALE.AIwillallparticipateinthis

technologytransferprocesswithexistingQuebeccompanies.BecauseAIisanewtechnology,fewSMEs

andlargecompaniesareadequatelyinformedandequippedtoundertaketheAIshift.

Avastecosystemofgovernment-subsidizedtechnologytransferagenciesexistsinQuebectoprovide

SMEsandlargebusinesseswithaccesstonewtechnologiesandsupportservices.Theseorganizations

include,amongothers,theCentrescollégiauxdetransferttechnologique(CCTT),theindustryresearch

clustersandtheothermembersoftheQuebecInnoveplatform.Today,theseorganizationsdonot

necessarilyhavetheexpertiserequiredtoprovideAIservicestobusinessesanddonothavetheoverall

strengthtorespondtodemandacrossQuebec.Indeed,alargepartoftherequestsandquestionsrelated

toAIcomingfromQuebecbusinessesaresenttoresearchinstitutes(e.g.,IVADOorMILA),whicharenot

abletoanswerthemfully.

Quebec'smodelofappliedresearchcentresandinnovationvaluingislargelydecentralized.Acrossthe

province,thereareintermediatetechnologytransferorganizations,butnoindustrysectorhasacritical

massofresearchersandengineersdedicatedtoappliedresearch.Forexample,theTransTechnetwork,

whichincludesallcollegetechnologytransfercentres,employs1,300expertsinnearly50centres.While

manyorganizationsnowplayaroleinthetransferofcross-sectoraltechnologiessuchasdigital

technologies,theformasubsetofthesestakeholdersmighttakeinthefuturemustbeconsidered.

46SeeAgrawal,A.etal.,op.cit.

47Seehttps://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-fundamental-flaw-in-ai-implementation/.

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SUGGESTEDAPPROACH

WeseetwopotentialfieldsofactiontoimproveQuébec'stechnologytransferinfrastructure:aseriesofactionstoberolledoutquickly,andanothertobeimplementedoverthenexttwoyears.

Phaseno1:UpgradetheAIknowledgeofQuebececosystemliaisonandtransferstakeholdersintheshortterm

1) First,werecommendupgradingtheAIknowledgeandskillsofasmallgroupofsupportplayerswhoalreadyprovideconsultingservicestobusinessesandareideallypositionedasa“gateway”forthem.Tothisend,about10“champion”organizationsshouldbechosen,fromtheroughly70existingorganizations,todedicatepartoftheirresourcestoAIanddatasciencetechnologytransfer.Academicinstitutions(i.e.MILA,IVADOanduniversities)wouldprovidetrainingusingatrain-the-trainerapproach.Followingtheecosystembenchmarkanalysis,adozenorganizationsappearasnaturalcandidates:thefollowingcentrescollégiauxdetransfertdetechnologie(CCTT):NovikaSolutions,theCentrederobotiqueetdevisionindustrielles(CRVI),theCentrededéveloppementetderechercheenimagerienumérique(CDRIN),theCentreenimagerienumériqueetmédiasinteractifs(CIMMI),theCentredegéomatiqueduQuebec(CGQ)andtheCentredeproductionautomatisée(CPA),aswellastheCentrefacilitantlarechercheetl’innovationdanslesorganisations(CEFRIO),theCentrederechercheinformatiquedeMontréal(CRIM),theAssociationpourledéveloppementdelarechercheetdel’innovationduQuebec(ADRIQ),theCentrederechercheindustrielleduQuebec(CRIQ),ProductiqueQuebecandtheNationalOpticsInstitute(INO).TheseorganizationsarementionedinFigure5.

2) Also,itisimportantthegovernmentsupporttheseintermediaryorganizationsindevelopingconsultingteamsabletoassessacompany’smaturityorreadinesstoadoptAIandAI-relatedapplicationsbyidentifyingthemostpromisingusecasesandhelpingthesecompaniesfindthebestpartnersfortheirneedswithintheecosystem.Inthiscontext,acommunicationchannelbetweentheseorganizationsandeducationalinstitutionsisneededtoensureproximitytothelatesttechnologicaldevelopments.TheQuebecInnoveplatformandtheAuditIndustrie4.0initiativecouldserveasalinkbetweenthevariousorganizations.


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Figure5–GeographicaldistributionoftechnologytransferorganizationsnaturallypositionedtoreceiveAItraining

Phaseno2:CreateamajorsupportprogramtoenablehundredsofcompaniestoexecuteanAIproject

Severaltechnologytransferstakeholdersoperateinspecificsectorsandhaveaspecialrelationshipwiththeindustrialclustersandthenetworkofcompaniesthatmakethemup.OncetheAIknowledgeoftheirstaffisupgraded,thesestakeholderscanparticipateintheimplementationofprogramstosupporttheseclustersandorganizationsintheirAIshift.

TohelpSMEsmaketheAIshift,werecommendcreatinganimportantcoachingprogramthatwillallowseveralhundredcompaniesexecuteanAIproject,withthesupportofliaisonandtransferagenciesandrepresentativesofQuebec’smainindustrialclusters.48

TheAIcoachingprogramcouldbemodelledonpastgovernmentprograms,suchasPME2.0,whichvariouspartnerspilotedinthe2010stohelpbusinessesinQuebec'saerospace,fashionandretailindustriesleveragethepotentialofinformationandcommunicationtechnologies.49

48TheAIshiftiscontributingtodataenhancementinbusinessesandisalogicalextensionoftheprogramsalreadystartedunderthePland’actionenéconomienumériqueetdelaStratégiequébécoisedelarechercheetdel’innovation.CompanieswithhighdigitalmaturitycanuseAItoleveragetheirdataandimprovetheirproductivityandcompetitiveness.Forexample,companiesthathaveparticipatedinexistingdigitalshiftgovernmentprogramsmayultimatelybenefitfromtheprogramsrecommendedinthisreporttomaketheAIshift.49From2012to2015,theMESImandatedCEFRIOtoimplementthePME2.0programandhelp30aerospaceandfashionandclothingSMEsaffectadigitalshift.Thesecompaniesreceivedsupportfromindustrypartners,academicresearchersandtechnologyexperts,andhaveinvestedcloseto$10Moftheirowntodiagnosetheirlevelofdigitaladvancement,plantheirdigitalstrategy,implementtechnologyadoptionprojects,suchasERP(EnterpriseResourcePlanning)packages,andensuretheacceptanceandeffectiveownershipbytheirstaffofthetoolsimplemented.CEFRIOanditspartners(e.g.,AéroMontréal)thenwidelydisseminatedtheknowledgegainedfromthese30experimentsthroughthewww.pmenumerique.caportalandothertransferactivities.ThepopularityofthisprogrampromptedtheMESItosupportasecondeditionofPME2.0,whichwillendin2018.Thisnewphaseaimstosupportthedigitalshiftofretailandmanufacturingcompaniesaswellassocialeconomyorganizations..Formoreinformation,seehttps://cefrio.qc.ca/projets-recherches-enquetes/numerique-entreprise/pme-20/.


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Initially,callsforapplicationsopentoallorganizationsinvolvedintechnologytransferandknowledge

transferontheuseoftechnologieswouldbelaunchedtoselect“champions”tosupportcompanies

throughthisprogram.Underthisinitiative,governmentfundswouldthenbeusedto:

• assessQuebec’smainindustrialclusterstodeterminehowcompaniesactiveintheprovince

coulduseAItocreatenewbusinessmodels,launchinnovativeproductsorservicesorincrease

theirproductivity,therebybecomingmorecompetitive.

• determinewhichindustrialclustersrequirepriorityintervention,particularlyinviewofAI’s

potentialforeachsector.

• providecustomizedsupporttosomeofthecompaniesintheseclusters(i.e.10to15SMEsin

eachclusterableandwillingtoundertakeanAIprojectandinvestsomeoftheirresources)so

thattheycanintegratetheAIeffectively.

• codifytheknowledgeandknow-howdevelopedbytheaboveSMEsandtransferthem,toallthe

companiesintheselectedclusters.

Thiscoachingprogramcouldalsoincludeaphasetohelpexistingcompanieswithintheinformation

technologycluster(suchas,SMEsthataremembersoftheAssociationquébécoisedestechnologies

(AQT))acquireadvancedAItechnicalknowledgewithaviewtoimprovingtheircurrentproductorservice

offering,byinjectingmoreintelligenceintocustomerrelationshipmanagement(CRM)software,a

documentmanagementtooloraninventorymanagementsystem,forexample.

AcoachingprogramthatcomplementsothergovernmentactionsThecoachingprogramoutlinedabovefitsinperfectlywithoneoftheStratégienumériqueduQuebec’s

objectives,whichis“tomakedigitalizationanengineforbusinessgrowthandapowerfulleverfor

industrialdevelopment,especiallythroughmajorinvestmentsinIndustry4.0andthereinforcementof

ecosystemsthatfacilitateprofitableinteractionsbetweenthedigitalsector’ssupplyanddemandfrom

othereconomicsectors.”TheQuebecgovernment's2018EconomicPlanembodiesthisobjectiveina

numberofways.Overthenexttwoyears,thegovernmentwillinvest$60Mtolaunchacallforproposals

sothatcompaniesinvariousindustrialsectorscanbidonmajorprojectstomarketnewproducts,

processesandservices,addresscommonchallengesandtestnewbusinessmodels.Evenifitdoesnot

focusontheuseofspecificsolutions,thisnewprogramwillbebeneficialtoQuebecSMEslookingtouse

AItosolvetheproblemstheyarefacing.

Moreover,theAIcoachingprogramwouldcomplementexistingorfutureQuebecSMEprograms,suchas

theActionsconcertéesdesFondsderechercheduQuebec,theMITACSprograms,Investissement

Québec’snewprogram,whichaimstohelpsecondarysectorcompaniesfollowthroughwithapplied

trainingprojectsbasedonthe“industrystudies”modelandtheCRIQstimulusprogramsdesignedtohelp

manufacturingcompaniestransforminto4.0companies.

Phaseno3:Consolidateseveraltechnologytransferorganizationsintoafundamentalandappliedresearchinstitutewithstrongindustryroots

Theoverallgoalistore-establishtherelationshipbetweencompaniesandappliedresearchcentresby

drawingoninternationallyprovenmodels,suchasthoseoftheFraunhoferandIMECinstitutesin

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GermanyandBelgium(seecasestudybelow).Inconcreteterms,itwouldbenecessarytoconsolidateseveralexistingorganizationsandaligntheeffortsofthedigitalscienceecosystemwiththoseofQuebecclustersandexistingsectoraltables.Thisconsolidationshouldfocusonappliedresearchandtechnologytransferactivities.Tothisend,werecommendthattheQuebecgovernmentbeginthinkingaboutprocessandadditionalfundingneededtocompletetherestructuringoftherelationshipbetweenbusinessesandappliedresearchcentres.ThisrecommendationisdirectlyrelatedtotheCCEI’sRecommendation11.

CASESTUDY

LocatedinLeuven,Belgium,theInstitutdemicroélectroniqueetcomposants(IMEC)isaresearchinstitutespecializinginmicroelectronics. Itshighlyqualif iedstaff includesmorethan3,500people(includingresearchersaswell asprojectengineers). Duetoitspopularitywithcompaniesthatarelookingtocarryoutbasicandappliedresearchprojects, IMECis80%self-f inancing.Itsmainactivitiesaredividedintotwobranches:

R&Dsolutions:

• Collaborativepre-competitiveresearchprojectswithmultiplestakeholders

• BilateralresearchprojectsbetweenacompanyandtheIMEC

• Government-fundedresearch

Innovationservices:

• Fromideatoconception,theIMECoffersnumerousinnovationvehicles(“LivingLabs,”start-upincubationandaccelerationprograms,etc.).

• Prototypingandtestingservicesformoreadvancedprojects

• Productioncapacityandadviceaboutgrowth

TheIMEC’sproximitytoindustry,crit icalmassofresearchersandinnovationservicesmakesit amodelresearchcentrethatstronglycontributestothemarketofthetechnologiesdevelopedwithinit, asevidencedbythe60orsostart-upsthathavesprungfromtheIMECsinceits inception.

Inshort,overtime,theIMEChasbecomemorethanaresearchcentre.Nowit is atrueinnovationhub.TheIMEC’s24,400-square-meterspaceincludesaccelerators, incubatorsandtrainingroomsandholdsnumerousannualconferencesandtechnologyroundtables.

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> Recommendation 8: Posit ion government and Crown corporations as model users that benefit from AI technology

FINDINGS

Giventhelargeamountofstructureddataitsvariousministriesgenerate(especiallyinthehealthsector),thegovernmentistheperfectpotentialcustomerforAIapplications.Undoubtedly,theQuebecgovernmentistheleaderincentralinformationmanagementsystemsinthepublicsector.

However,thegovernmentmustovercomesomeobstaclestobenefitfromAIsolutions.Inadditiontoissuessimilartothoseoflargenon-technologycompanies,suchasaccesstotalentandtheneedforgreaterawareness,structuralissuesneedtoberesolvedifthegovernmentwantstopositionitselfasalegitimateuserofAIsolutions.CEFRIO,initsNetGouvreportonopendata,seesonlyslightprogressintheevolutionofopengovernmentinQuebec.Indeed,fewerthan5%ofministriesreleasedmorethan10datasetsin2016.Sincethen,thesituationhasimprovedsomewhat,buttheissuepersists.KeepinmindthatpublicdataaccessibilityandsharingisanessentialconditionforAIuseinministries.

CASESTUDY

TheSOQUIJhasestablishedadatamanagementpolicywithinthecontextofthedevelopmentofAI-basedlegal informationsolutions.Thispolicyrespectsthecurrentlegalframeworkandproposessecuritymeasuresinl inewithindustrybestpractices( includingencryptionandsecuredatahosting). Thepolicyalsoevokesthenotionofbenefitandriskanalysisregardingdatacommunicationanduseanddefinesmitigationmeasuresforidentifiedrisks.WhenthebenefitsofusingdatainanAIcontextaresignificantlygreaterthantherisks,useispermitted.Internalandexternalethicalcommitteesevaluatetherecommendationswhenrisklevelsarehigh.Suchamodelcouldbeusedacrossministries.

SUGGESTEDAPPROACH

WeproposetopositiontheQuebecgovernmentasanAIuserthroughvariousimpactfulactions,including:

1) ClearpositioningintheStratégiedegouvernementnumériqueregardingtheadoptionofAIsolutionswithinthegovernmentapparatus.Thisstrategyshouldleadtothedevelopmentofinternalexpertise,startingwithteamsintheChiefInformationOfficer’sdepartmentwithintheTreasuryBoard(Conseildutrésor).Thisdepartmentwouldthencoordinateanassessmentinthefiveto10ministriesorgovernmentagenciesthatpossessthelargestamountofdatatoidentifycommonusecasesofbenefittothegovernmentandcitizens(e.g.,taxevasionpreventionatRevenuQuebec).Afterthisassessment,thegovernmentwillneedtosetcleargoalsonanumberofpriorityissues.

2) Themodernizationoftheregulationsgoverningtheuseofpublicdata(seealsoPhase1underRecommendation6).

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ImplementingagovernmentAIstrategyFromamore tactical perspective, the operationalization of a governmentAI strategy could involvesettingupanAIanddatasciencesquadabletosupportmultipleministries.UpgradingtheskillsofkeystaffalreadyinplacecouldbedonethroughtrainingofferedbythevariousAIeducationalinstitutions,notably Université Laval’s Centre de recherche en données massives because of its geographicproximitytotheTreasuryBoardteam,whichincludestheChiefInformationOfficer.

Strong and experienced leadership is also crucial for the technological shift. In 2014, the ObamaadministrationhadateamofformerSiliconValleyexecutives, includingsomefromGoogle, leadthegovernment'smostinnovativeprojects.Itwouldbeanexcellentideafortheprovincialgovernmenttofollow this example and attract leaderswho have experience inmajor technology projects.On thedata side,we recommendanAI-solutiondevelopmentdatamanagementpolicybeadopted. In thisrespect,theworkdonebySOQUIJcouldserveasajumpingoffpoint(seetheSOQUIJcasestudy).

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Develop an international responsible AI and AI impact

analysis hub in Quebec

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> Recommendation 9: Ensure the sustainabil ity of ongoing responsible AI mobil ization efforts and prepare to integrate emerging consensuses into Quebec public policy

FINDINGS

Aswementionedatthebeginningofthisreport,thedevelopmentofAItechnologiesandtheir

implementationshouldhavepositiveeffectsonsocietyoverall.Thatsaid,thereisnodoubtthatAI’s

increasingprevalencecouldalsohaveadverseeffects,intentionalornot,ifnotwellmonitored.

Nodoubt,somepeople,businessesandgovernmentsmaybeusingAItools – and,asFacebookandCambridgeAnalyticahaveshowns,thedatatheyneedtocreatethem

50– forillegalormorally

reprehensiblepurposes.Sometechnologies,suchasfacialrecognitiontools,couldbeusedtomonitor

consumersorcitizensandsurreptitiouslygatherinformationabouttheirsexualorpoliticalpreferences.51

Othertechnologiesmaybeusedtodeceivethepublic,asautomaticimagegeneratorscancreateever

moreconvincingfalsenews.52

Inothercases,organizationswilluseAItoachievetheirgoalslegally,butwillhaveanegativeimpacton

societyasawhole.Forexample,arecentWallStreetJournalsurveyshowedthatYouTubetendstoshow

extremeandcatchyvideostointernetuserslookingfor“mainstream”videostomaximizeitsadvertising

revenue.Therefore,conspiracy,anti-vaccinepropagandaorultra-marathonvideosmayappearas

suggestionstopeoplelookingforinformationabouttheU.S.President'sStateoftheUnionaddress,the

fluvaccineorjogging.53

UsingAItechnologiescouldalsohaveunwantedsideeffects,becausetheymaycodifyharmfulactions,

suchasdiscriminatorypractices.Forexample,someofthealgorithmsusedintheAmericanlegalsystem

showthatpeoplewhohavehadearlycontactwiththepolicearemorelikelythanotherstocommita

crimeafterbeingreleasedonparole.Thistypeoffinding,however,resultsintheunjustifiedextensionof

theincarcerationofmanyAfricanAmericans,sinceAfrican-Americanteensaremoreoftenbotheredby

thepolicefornogoodreasonthanarewhiteteenagers.54

AIapplicationswillalsohaveasignificantimpactontheQuebecandglobaleconomies.Indeed,thereisno

doubtthattheriseofAIwillresultintheeliminationortransformationofasignificantportionofthejobs

offeredinmanyindustrysectors.Automatedtextanalysisandgenerationtools,autonomousvehiclesor

high-performancechatbotsshouldhaveapositiveoveralleffectontheproductivityofbusinessesand

50Seehttps://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/19/technology/facebook-cambridge-analytica-explained.html?action=click&module=

Intentional&pgtype=Article.51Seehttps://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/07/new-artificial-intelligence-can-tell-whether-youre-gay-or-straight-

from-a-photograph.52Seehttp://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2016/10/04/01003-20161004ARTFIG00094-etats-unis-le-pentagone-a-debourse-des-

millions-de-dollars-pour-de-fausses-videos-djihadistes.php.53Seehttps://www.wsj.com/articles/how-youtube-drives-viewers-to-the-internets-darkest-corners-1518020478.Thisphenomenon

doesnothold,stressesacolumnistoftheNewYorkTimes,thatFacebook'sengineershavethe“desiretoleadtheworldtoruin”.It

ismoreplausible,accordingtoher,thatthisresulthastodowiththebusinessmodelofGoogle,theownerofYouTube.“YouTube's

algorithmseemstohaveconcludedthatpeopleareattractedtomoreextremecontentthantheywerelookingforatthebeginning

oftheirresearch-orbygenerallyinflammatorycontent.“

Cephénomènenetientpas,souligneunechroniqueuseduNewYorkTimes,aufaitquelesingénieursdeFacebookontla«volontédemenerlemondeàsaperte».Ilestplusplausible,selonelle,quecerésultataitàvoiraveclemodèled’affairesdeGoogle,le

propriétairedeYouTube.«L’algorithmedeYouTubesembleavoirconcluquelesgenssontattiréspardescontenusplusextrêmes

queceuxqu’ilsontcherchésaudébutdeleursrecherches–oupardescontenusgénéralementincendiaires.»54SeeO’Neil,C.(2017).Weaponsofmathdestruction–Howbigdataincreasesinequalityandthreatensdemocracy,Broadway

Books.

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workersbutcouldquicklyputmanyprofessionals,workersandtechniciansoutofworkorforcethemtoacquirenewskillstoremainemployableormaintaintheirincomelevel.

AI’simpactontheenvironmentIn2016,theelectricityconsumptionoftheworld’sdatacentresexceededthatofalltheinhabitantsandcompaniesofGreatBritain.55TheriseofAIcouldcauseamajorincreaseinelectricityconsumption,becauseAIrequiresenormousamonthsofdataandcomputationalpower.BecomingaleaderinresponsibleAImeansthatQuebecshouldalsoseektominimizetheenvironmentalfootprintofitsactivitiesinthisarea.

Inresponsetothesechallenges,manyofthecountriesthathaveadoptedAIdevelopmentstrategieshavealsobeguntoreflectontheethical,socialandhumanissuesassociatedwiththedevelopmentanduseofAI.

Forexample,in2017,theStateCouncilofFrancecommissionedastudyentitledPuissancepubliqueetplateformesnumériques:accompagnerl’ubérisation,whichfocusesspecificallyontheeffectsofAIonFrenchsocietyandtheeconomy.IntheUnitedStates,theFutureofArtificialIntelligenceActof2017addressestheimportanceofdevelopingAIwhileprotectingtheprivacyrightsofcitizensandcreatingunbiasedtools.Movingfromdeclarationofintenttooperationalization,actorslikeAINowintheUnitedStates,ortheFutureofHumanityInstituteinBritain,begandesigningframeworksandmethodologiesthatbusinessesandgovernmentscouldadopttoframethedevelopmentofAItoolsandtheiruse.

ManyelementsdemonstrateQuebec'suniquepositioningwithrespecttothesocial,ethicalandlegislativeissuesofAIanddatasciencemoregenerally.

Inthefieldofmachinelearning,thereisabroadconsensusinQuebecwithinresearchteamsregardingtheneedtodevelopastrongdiscoursetosupporttheethicaldevelopmentofAI.Severalresearchersinthefieldhavebeenpersonallyinvolvedinthisinitiative,andorganizationssuchasIVADOandMILAarecloselyinvolvedinadvocacyandknowledgemobilizationactivitiesaboutresponsibledatauseandAI.Moreover,Quebechasstrongresearchexpertiseinthelegalsector(bothommonlawandcivillaw),publicpolicyandethics,andresearchersactiveintheprovincehavemobilizedaroundethicalandlegalAIissues.Finally,thedemocratictraditionandrespectforthefundamentalrightsinQuebecmakesitfertilegroundfordevelopingausefuldialoguewithcitizensregardingAIissuesandAI’ssocialimpact.

Inthisspirit,theUniversitédeMontréalandtheFondsdelarechercheduQuébecorganizedthe“ForumAIresponsable”in2017,inpartnershipwithMILA,IVADO,theCanadianInstituteforAdvancedResearchandthePalaisdescongrèsdeMontréal.

TheForumandthecitizenparticipationprocesswillconcludeinDecember2018withthepublicationoftheMontrealDeclarationforaResponsibleDevelopmentofArtificialIntelligence.Therecommendationsmadeinthisdocumentcomebothfromacommitteeofscientificexpertsandthepublicconsultationprocess.TheimplementationoftheDeclaration’srecommendationswillhelpbenchmarkAI’sfuturedevelopmentsothatitisdoneinamannerconsistentwiththevaluesofQuebecsocietyandallowsnotonlyforeconomicprogress,butalsoforsocialprogress.

55Seehttp://www.independent.co.uk/environment/global-warming-data-centres-to-consume-three-times-as-much-energy-in-next-decade-experts-warn-a6830086.html.

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Giventherapidlyevolvingnatureoftechnologiesandthesocialchangestheybringabout,itisessentialtoanticipatethattheserecommendationswillneedtoberevisedregularly.Indeed,itwillbenecessarytoensurethattheycontinuetobeimprovedbasedonthetwopillarsoftheDeclaration,namelythecontributionofexpertsandongoingpublicconsultation.

Finally,thankstotheMontrealDeclarationforaResponsibleDevelopmentofArtificialIntelligenceandtheeffortsthatwillleadtoit,thestrengthofitsexperts,thequalityofitscitizens’participationinthemajordebates,itsculturalassetsandthestrengthofitsAIecosystem,QuebecwillbeperfectlypositionedtotakealeadingroleinthedevelopmentofresponsibleAIacrossCanadaandinternationally.Theprovincemustbegiventhemeanstofullytakeupthisleadershiprole.

SUGGESTEDAPPROACH

TopositionQuebecastheleaderinresponsibleAI:

1) WerecommendthattheQuebecgovernmentsupportthecreationofaninternationalprospectiveobservatoryontheresponsibledevelopmentofAIandthesocietalimpactsofAIanddigitaltechnology.Thisobservatorywouldbeanon-profitorganization.56Toavoidanyperceptionofaconflictofinterest,thegovernanceofthisentityshouldbeindependentfromtheAIanddatascienceresearchorganizations(e.g.,IVADOandMILA)aswellascorporationsandAI.Quebec(seeRecommendation12),whilestillbeinglinkedoperationallywiththeecosystem’svariouscomponents(inparticular,theobservatoryshouldbringtogetherseveralmajoruniversityorcollegestakeholders).Moreover,thisobservatoryshouldbeincontactwithallthestakeholdersconcernedbythesocietal,social,economic,culturalandethicalissuesofAIuseanddevelopment,i.e.interestedstakeholdersfromacademia,government,industryandcivilsociety.Governanceensuringadiversifiedrepresentationwhereinnoneofthestakeholdershaveamajoritycontrolwillensurethenecessaryindependence.Theobservatory'smandatewillbedividedintothreecomponents:

a. GeneratenewknowledgeonAIethicalandsocialissuesandimpactsbymonitoring,listingandanalyzinginitiativesinthisareaatthenationalandinternationallevels,andbyworkinginpartnershipwiththeFondsderechercheduQuebec(FRQ),throughtargetedcallsforinter-institutionalandintersectoralresearchprojectsinresponsibleAI.

b. Continuethelong-termeffortsundertakenwiththedraftingoftheMontrealDeclarationforaResponsibleDevelopmentofArtificialIntelligencebysettingupapermanentforumwhereallstakeholdersinQuebecsocietycandebatetheethicalandsocialissuesrelatedtothedevelopmentanduseofAItools,aswellastheirimpact.Thiscitizenforumwill,withinputfromAIethics,lawandtechnologyinnovationexperts,makeitpossibletoupdatetheDeclarationonaregularbasis,anessentialelementinacontextofacceleratedanddisruptivetechnologicaldevelopment.

c. MakerecommendationsregardinglegislativeframeworksandpublicpoliciestobeadoptedtoensuretheresponsibleuseofAIandpromotethesuccessfuladaptationofQuebecandCanadiansocietytotheincreasingpenetrationofAIinallspheresoflifeandactivity,includingsocialjusticeandthesharingofprosperity.

56TheCommitteeispleasedtonotethat,onMay4,theChiefScientistandthethreeFondsderechercheduQuebec(FRQ),inpartnershipwiththeMESI,invitedthescientificcommunitytorespondtoacallforproposalsaimedatsettinguptheObservatoireinternationalsurlesimpactssociétauxdel'intelligenceartificielleetdunumérique,whosemissionandmodeofgovernancecorrespondbroadlytothedescriptionpresentedabove.Governmentassistancewillconsistofanoperatingsubsidyofatleast$1M,andupto$2Mannuallyforfiveyears,withthepossibilityofrenewal.


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ThismandatewillbeexecutedinclosecollaborationwithCanadianandforeignjurisdictionschargedwith

overseeingthedevelopmentofresponsibleAI.Thisobservatory,bymaintaininganactivedialoguewith

citizensandbybringingtogetherallAIstakeholders,willpromoteeducation,responsibilityand

empowermentwithinQuebecandCanadiansocietyandensurethatthevoiceofcitizensistakeninto

accountinthedevelopmentofAI.Therefore:

1) WerecommendthattheQuebecgovernmentadoptvigorousmeasurestopositionQuebecasaninternationalleaderinthefieldofAIandresponsibleAI.Itwoulddothisbyfacilitating,asannouncedinits2018-2019budget,theimplementationbyMontréalInternationalofanew

internationalAIorganization,aswellasbysupportingthestrongparticipationofQuebecAI

ecosystemmembersinthemainexistingCanadianandinternationalforumsregardingthesocial

issuesofAIuseandthestandardizationbodiesconcernedbytheseissues.Itshouldbenoted

thattheestablishmentofanewinternationalAIorganizationisdistinctfromtheproposed

observatoryinitiative,butthepresenceofanobservatory,inadditiontothescientificand

industrialAIassetsinQuebec,representsapullfactorforaninternationalorganization.

InthecontextofitseffortstobecomeanexemplaryAIuser:

2) WerecommendthattheQuebecgovernmentadoptaframeworkfortheresponsibleuseofAIinwhichitundertakestothefollowing:

a. Increasetheinternalexpertiseofministriesandagenciesregardingtheresponsibleuse

ofAI.

b. Ensurethattheanonymiseddataitgeneratesaremadeavailableinanefficientmanner

thatrespectstheprivacyofcitizens.

c. MakepubliceveryuseitmakesofAIalgorithmstocometodecisionsthatmayaffect

thelivesofcitizens.

d. Giveresearcherstheopportunitytoexaminethesealgorithmstodetectproblemsthat

mayaffecttheirfunctioning.

TheQuebecgovernmentmustapplythislastrecommendationquickly,toreassurecitizens

regardingtheuseitintendstomakeofthedatathatwillbemadeaccessible(see

Recommendation6)andtheAItoolsthatwillbecreatedinQuebec,insomecases,withthese

data

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ActinternationallyonissuesrelatedtoartificialintelligenceDuringavisithemadetoFranceinMarch2018,thePremierofQuebecproposed

creatingaglobalorganizationthatwouldworkonsocietalandethicalissues

relatedtothedevelopmentanduseofAI.AccordingtotheQuebecgovernment,

thiswouldbeasortof“controltower”thatcould“reassurethepublic”aboutthe

evolutionofthisnewtechnology,amongotherthings.

Inits2018-2019budget,theQuebecgovernmentfolloweduponthis

announcementbyearmarking$5MforMontréalInternational“tofacilitatethe

establishmentofanewinternationalartificialintelligenceorganizationin

collaborationwithkeystakeholdersinthefield,”57

includingtheSteering

Committee.

TheSteeringCommitteeisoftheopinionthatthesettingupofsuchan

organizationanditspresenceinQuebecwouldhaveverypositiveimpacts.It

intendstoprovideallpossiblesupportMontrealInternationalneedstomakethis

initiativeasuccess.

TheCommitteealsobelievesthatitwillbeimportantforthegovernmenttogive

Quebec'sAIstakeholders,fromcompaniestoresearchcentrestoministriesand

agencies,themeanstointerveneforcefullyininfluentialCanadianorinternational

forums,suchasthePartnershiponAI(agroupfoundedbymajorU.S.digital

companiesthattodayincludessuchplayersastheAssociationforthe

AdvancementofArtificialIntelligence,theFraunhoferInstituteforIndustrial

Engineering,ElementAI

,McKinsey&CompanyorAccenture),aswellas

standardizationbodiesinvolvedintheeffectiveandresponsibledevelopmentofAI

(see“AIstandards”onpageXXoftheAppendices).

57

Seehttp://www.montrealinternational.com/a-propos/salle-de-presse/de-nouvelles-mesures-pour-renforcer-le-bassin-de-talents-

internationaux-et-mettre-en-place-une-organisation-internationale-en-intelligence-artificielle/.

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Strategic direction no 5

Advance the development of ecosystem support structures

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> Recommendation 10: Ensure access to computing power and computational expertise for AI and data science stakeholders

FINDINGS

IntheAIsector,manyresearchandtechnologydevelopmentsrelyheavilyonitsresearchers’andapplicationdevelopers’accesstocomputinginfrastructuresthatareasrobustastheyaresafe,inshort,onconnectivity,computingpowerandhigh-qualitydatastorageservices.

ComputeCanadaistheorganizationresponsibleforcoordinatingthedeliveryofadvancedcomputingservicesacrossCanada.ThisNPOhasfourregionalpartners:ACENETintheAtlanticProvinces,CalculQuébec,ComputeOntarioandWestGrid,eachsupportedbygovernmentpartnersandotherstakeholders.

CalculQuébecisagroupthatbringstogetherQuebecuniversitiesthatshareadvancedcomputinginfrastructure.CalculQuébechasacoregroupofhighlyqualifiedexpertswhocansupportAIresearchersintheirwork.

DespitetheeffortsmadebyCanadaandQuebectoensureabalancebetweenthesupplyofcomputingpowerandtheneedsofresearchersandcompanies,significantobstaclesoftenpreventthemfromhavingaccesstoalltheresourcestheyneedtocarryouttheirAIprojects.

First,itseemsonly30%ofgraphicsprocessingunits(GPUs)and50%ofCPUs(centralprocessingunits)neededbyQuebecresearchcentresandgroupsarecurrentlyavailable.58Theinvestmentsannouncedbythefederalgovernmentinits2018-2019budget(seethetextboxbelow)shouldpreventtheextensionofthegapbetweenQuebecandCanadaandtheirinternationalrivalsintermsofcomputingpower.ThisalonewillnotmeetalltheAIecosystemstakeholders’futuredemandsincetheirneedswillgrowrapidly.

Thefederalgovernmentandcomputingpowerinits2018-19budget,thefederalgovernmentannounced$572Moverfiveyearstoimplementanewstrategyfordigitalresearchinfrastructureandbigdatauseincollaborationwiththeprovinces,universitiesandplayerslikeComputeCanadaandtheCanadaFoundationforInnovation.ThedetailsofthisstrategyandtheamountsthatwillbeinjectedintoQuebecwillbeknownatalaterdate.

Second,currently,theactivitiesofcomputingpowerproviders,suchasCalculQuébec,cannotalwaysbeorganizedinawaythatmeetsalltheGPUorevenCPUrequirementsofAIplayers.Forexample,accordingtoAIplayers,thereportedwaittimetoaccesstheGPUrequiredforaprojectisoftentoolong.

Moreover,Quebec'sAIstakeholders,especiallySMEs,donotalwayshavethenecessaryknowledgetostructuretheirITassetsandactivities(e.g.,theircloudcomputingordataanonymizationandprotection58ResultsofthelastComputeCanadaawardprocess,estimatedbyCalculQuébec.


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activities)andproperlyleveragethecomputationalpowerCalculQuébecandotherproviders(e.g.,

AmazonWebServices)currentlyoffer.

Atthemoment,CalculQuébecwouldnotbeabletorespondinaflexiblewaytotheemergingand

growingneedsofresearchers(inAIaswellasinsectorsliketransportation,healthandlaw,whereAItools

areincreasinglybeingused),aswellasthoseofstart-upsandestablishedSMEswhowouldliketoget

coachingtounderstandthefullrangeofcomputingresourcesavailableonthemarketandmakewise

choices.

Thatbeingsaid,challengesarethesameelsewhereinCanada.Tomeetthesechallenges,Ontariodecided

in2014toconferNPOstatusonComputeOntarioandinvest$75Moverfiveyearstoimplementits

strategy.

SUGGESTEDAPPROACH

Tocorrecttheshortcomingsmentionedabove:

1) WerecommendthatQuebec'scomputinginfrastructureneedsbeclearlydefinedandthatappropriaterepresentationsbemadetothefederalgovernmenttoensurethatQuebecreceivesanappropriateshareofthefundingprovidedbythefederalbudget.Inits2018-19budget,theGovernmentofCanadahasproposed$572.5Moverfiveyearsand$52Mperyear

thereaftertoimplementadigitalresearchinfrastructuredevelopmentstrategy.Thisstrategy

aimstoprovideCanadianresearcherswithmoreopenandequitableaccesstoadvanced

computingresourcesandbigdata.TheCanadianMinisterofSciencehasannouncedhisintention

toworkwithstakeholders,includingtheprovincesanduniversities,toproducethisstrategyand

definetherolethatplayersliketheCanadaFoundationforInnovation,ComputeCanadaandthe

CanadianNetworkfortheAdvancementofResearch,IndustryandEducationwillplayinits

application.

2) WealsorecommendthatQuebec'sAIresearcherswhouseAItechniquesintheirfieldof

research,aswellasthecompaniesthatworkwiththeseresearchersoncollaborativeresearchprojects,haveaccessthroughCalculQuébectotheincreasedgraphicsprocessingunits(GPU)andgreaterstoragecapacitiestheyrequire.

3) Finally,werecommendsupportingCalculQuébecinstrengtheningitscapacitytoeffectivelysupportresearchersandbusinesseswithintheAIecosysteminparticular.Amongotherthings,

itwouldbeappropriateto:

a. ActivelyparticipateinongoingdiscussionsregardinggovernancemodelsforCanada's

digitalresearchinfrastructuretoinfluencethedevelopmentsthatwillhappenacrossthe

countryandultimatelyincreaseCalculQuébec’sflexibilityandagility.

b. EnsureCalculQuébechasthemeanstosetupandrolloutalargerteamofadvisers

whoserolewouldbetosupportresearchcentresandgroups,aswellasQuebec

companies,inthedesignandimplementationofoptimalstrategiesforhigh

performancecomputing.Forinstance,thisteamcouldprovideinformationtoAI

stakeholdersaboutsolutionsofferedbyotherproviders(e.g.,helpthemworkwith

privatestorage,computinganddataprotectionserviceproviders).

c. SupportCalculQuébecinrevisingitsmissionorstrategytohelpitdeterminehowbest

toensureitslong-termfunding.

NotethatthepossiblereorientationofCalculQuébecandthereinforcementofitscapacitytohelpAI

companiescouldhelpboostQuebec'shigh-performancecomputingecosystem,particularlythroughthe

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growthofcomputing,dataprotectionandotherserviceproviderswithwhomCalculQuébecwillworkcloselytogether.

> Recommendation 11: Create a permanent AI.Quebec organization with its own administrative structure to play a monitoring role and faci l itate coordination between Quebec AI ecosystem stakeholders

FINDINGS

InQuebec,apromisingsupportecosystemforthedevelopmentofAIalreadyexists,whichincludesplayersinprivatefinance,technologytransferandtraining,aswellasbusinessassociationsandsectorclusters.Asnotedinthisreport,manyongoingandupcomingnon-governmentalinitiativesareexpectedtoallowthissupportecosystemtogrowtoadequatelysupportAIgrowthintheprovince.However,failuretoimplementtheseprojectscouldseriouslyjeopardizeQuebec'sfutureleadershipinAI.

Moreover,whilethemanystakeholdersintheQuebecAIecosystemisamajorasset,italsoraisessomeproblems.Despiteitsmanystrengths,QuebechaslimitedresourcescomparedtoplayerslikeChinaortheUnitedStates.Therefore,itisallthemorecriticaltooptimizetheseassetsandcoordinatetheeffortsoftheecosystem.

Also,inasectorthatisevolvingasrapidlyasAI,andindigitalsciencesingeneral,theecosystem’sdirectionsmustbeflexible.Wedon’tknowwherethenextscientificbreakthroughorthenext“Facebook”willcomefrom,butit’spossibletosetupaflexibleandagilesystemthatcanadjustquicklytoprovideadequatesupporttonewplayerswithstrongpotentialorimprovetheecosystem’sstrategy.

Finally,notonlyisitessentialtosupportthegrowthoftheQuebecAIecosystem,butsignificantmarketingeffortsmustbemadetoensureitsvisibilityonaglobalscale.Someactorsarealreadymobilizedandareengagedinpromotioninternationally,buttheywillneedadequatesupporttohavesufficientstrikingforce.

SUGGESTEDAPPROACH

Werecommendthecreationof“AI.Quebec”,anadministrativeentitywithastrategicreflection,rallyingandpromotionrole,whichwillworkinclosecollaborationwithallthegovernmentalandnon-governmentalstakeholdersconcernedbythedevelopmentofAIinQuebec,fromtheQuebecInnovenetworktoTechnoMontréal,MontrealInternational,QuébecInternational,PromptortheministriesofEconomy,ScienceandInnovation,EducationandHigherEducation,InternationalRelationsandLaFrancophonieorLabour,EmploymentandSocialSolidarity.Morespecifically,AI.Quebecwouldhavethefollowingresponsibilities:

1. Continue,throughcollaboration,thestrategiceffortstocreate,inQuebec,thelargestartificialintelligenceecosysteminNorthAmerica.

a) Tothisend,wesuggestAI.Quebecplayamonitoringrolewiththeaimofcontinuouslyevaluatingtherobustnessofthesupportecosystem.Theorganizationcanrecommendspecificactionstothegovernmenttoaddressanyshortcomingsobserved.Areasinneedofmonitoringincludeaccesstofinancingcapital,accesstocomputinginfrastructure,


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upgradingoftechnologytransferactors,technologytransfermechanisms,awareness

withinlargecompaniesandtheavailabilityofconsultingservicesforSMEs.

b) AI.QuebecwouldalsobemandatedtomonitorinternationalAIdevelopmentsandthen

informtheecosystemandthegovernmentoftheissuesandopportunitiesforresearch

andtheQuebececonomy.

c) Finally,AI.Quebecwouldberesponsibleforcontinuingtheongoingstrategiceffort,

regularlyreviewingtheecosystem’sfive-yearplanandsustainingthevision’s

implementationoverall.

2. Leadthe“talentwatch”mentionedinRecommendation3toensuretheecosystem’srobustness

intermsoftalentandtraining.

3. Ensuringsolidarity,collaborationandcooperationofQuebecAIstakeholders.Tothisend,AI.Quebecwouldbeinchargeoffacilitatingcurrentandfutureecosystemplayernetworking,act

asamediatorintheeventoflitigationandserveasacentralbodyaroundwhichecosystem

playerscanrallytoresolvetheissuestogether.Assuch,AI.Quebecwouldalsoberesponsiblefor

settingupandupdatingthecommontechnologyshowcasepresentedinRecommendation12.

4. BuildbridgesbetweenQuebec'sAIecosystemandotherAIecosystemsaroundtheworld,

startingwithotherCanadianecosystems.AI.Quebecmuststayinconstantcommunicationwith

theCanadianAIConsortiumandthefederalgovernmenttoensureapan-Canadiannetworkof

initiativesaffectingtheprovinces.

5. PlayasupportingroleinpromotingQuebec'sAIecosysteminCanadaandabroad.Wesuggest

thatAI.QuebecsupportexistingpartnersintheireffortstopromoteAI,e.g.,Montreal

International.AI.Quebec’sadministrativebodycouldalsosupportthegovernmentinits

representationrolesatthefederalandinternationallevels.

6. SupportthecoordinatedparticipationofQuebecinsomeofthekeyCanadianandinternational

forumsonthefutureofAIandthisnewindustry’sdevelopment.Inparticular,Quebecshould

ensure,throughAI.QuebecandthenewinternationalobservatoryonresponsibleAIandits

impacts,tohaveastrongsayatCanadianandinternationalstandardizationnegotiationtables

implementedovertherecentyearsandmonthstoprovideaframeworkforthedesignofAItools

andtheirethicaluse(seethetextboxbelow).

AI.Quebec’sprecisegovernancemodelwillbeadoptedduringtheimplementationofthisstrategy,in

closeconsultationwithallecosystemstakeholders.

QuebecandAIstandardsQuebecwillbenefitfromparticipatinginthestandardizationeffortsthatwillbeundertakenintheAI

sector.TheprocesswillenableQuebecresearchersandcompanies:

• TobeamongthefirsttoknowwhichstandardswilldirecttheevolutionAIsothattheycan

quicklyadapttothefuturerequirementsoftheinternationalmarket.

• Toinfluencestandardizationprocessessothatcertainissuesimportantforthedevelopmentof

theQuebecAImarketandindustriesthatuseAI,aswellasforthedevelopmentofQuebec

societyandcultureareaddressedadequately(e.g.,speechrecognitionorsynthesissoftwareable

toprocessQuebecFrencheffectively).

Therefore,itwillbeimportantforQuebectoensureastrongCanadianrepresentationonISO'snew

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ArtificialIntelligenceCommittee(SC42JTC1),aswellasotherstandardizationjurisdictions.ThisrepresentationshouldalsotakeQuebec’sinterestsintoaccountand,aboveall,ensuretheeffectivetransferofacquiredknowledgetoallQuebecstakeholders.IncoordinationwiththeAlbertaandOntarioAIclusters,QuebeccouldworktodefineaninterventionplanintheISOSC42Committeeandotherstandardizationbodies.

QuebecandCanadacouldtakestepstoimplementamodestconsultationanddisseminationstructuretogatherinputfromAIecosystemstakeholdersandquicklyinformthemoftheworkbeingdonebystandardizationbodiesandtheimpactofthiswork.Finally,itmaybeagoodideatofostercollaborationbetweenQuebecanothercountries,suchasFrance,toensurethatissuesofculturalandlinguisticdiversityareproperlyaddressedinAI.

> Recommendation 12: Faci l itate access to information on avai lable resources for AI ecosystem stakeholders and promote connections between them through a common showcase

FINDINGS

ArichandcomplexecosystemofintermediariesexistsinQuebec,butthisecosystemiscurrentlyfragmented,withnoclear“gateway”fornon-technologycompaniesofallsizes.Whileaportalforbusinesses,QuebecInnove,exists,thisplatformisnotcurrentlyabletoreceive,filterandrouteAIrequests,whichaddsalevelofgranularity.Lackofclarityregarding“whodoeswhat”ensuresthatmanyrequestsareroutedtoMILAandIVADOwithouttheirhavingthecapacitytorespond.Therefore,itiscrucialtosetupaneffectivenetworkingmechanismtailoredtoend-userneeds.

Asmentionedinthisreport’srecommendations,increasedvisibilityforalltheAIecosystem’sresourceswouldmakethejourneyeasierforthefollowingstakeholders:localandinternationalstudents,businessleaders,professionalslookingtoconverttheirskills,etc.

SUGGESTEDAPPROACH

WerecommendthecreationofanonlineshowcaseplatformthatwouldbeaccessibleontheAI.QuebecandEntreprisesQuebecsites.Onthesites,thefollowingwouldbeaccessible:

• Eachplayer’sofferinginmarketingandtechnologytransfer

• AlistofAIstart-upsintheecosystemandtheirrespectivesectors

• Alistoftheexistingprovincialandfederalgrantprogramsandtheirtargetaudiences

• AlistoftheacademicresearchtopicsinAIavailableinQuebec,includingalistofresearchersworkingineachfield

• Alistofinternshipsavailableforlocalandforeignstudents

• Thescholarshipandfundingofferingsavailabletolocalandforeignstudents

• FutureprofilesinAI

• AlistofallexistingAIanddigitalsciencetrainingcourses,eithercredited(college,university,continuingeducation)andnon-credited(e.g.,onlinecoursesonAI’stransformationpotential).

$100Mfundfinancing

priority

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Thisplatformmustmeetseveralcriteriatoachieveitsmainobjective,whichistobringtogetherinvestors,creatorsandpotentialusers,andincreasethevisibilityofavailableacademicresearchandtrainingprograms.Theplatformshouldreflecttheimageoftheecosystem,i.e.modernandeasytouse.ItmustbeinclusiveandapplyacrossQuebecasawholeandshouldhighlightexistingtechnologytransfermodels.Theplatformwillalsoneedtobeupdatedfrequently,ifnotautomatically.Finally,theplatformmustpromoteawarenessandeducation,i.e.explainwhatAIis,describetheapplicationsofresponsibleAIandprovidetheappropriateeducationalmaterialtoinformtheQuebecpopulationaboutthevarioustypicalAIusecasesaccordingtosector.

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Conclusion

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Concluding remarks

ThedevelopmentofQuebec’sAIstrategyistheresultofcollaborationbetweentheSteeringCommittee

membersandQuebececosystemstakeholderswho,inadditiontotheirrespectiverolesasinvestors,

entrepreneurs,employers,researchersorprofessors,cametogetherwiththecommongoalofensuring

futureprogressandprosperityforoursociety.Indeed,manymembersoftheacademic,industrialand

governmentalsectorswereinvolvedinthedevelopmentandvalidationofthisreport’s12

recommendationsinthehopeofhelpingQuebecbecomethemostimportantartificialintelligence

ecosysteminNorthAmerica.Ourcommunitywillbenefitgreatlyfromthecommitmentofalltheleaders

whohavesharedtheirpointofviewontheissues,challengesandopportunitiesforQuebecandallofits

regionsinthedevelopmentofanAIhubinQuebec.

Talentisthesinewsofwar.Itisafinding,anissue,evenanopportunitythatisunanimouslyacceptedin

theQuebecAIecosystem.

Quebec’ssuccesswilldependdirectlyonitsabilitytotrainandattractthetalentneededforbasicAI

research,thedesignofapplicationsthatuseAIalgorithmsandtheadoptionofAIandAI-related

technologiesbyQuebecbusinesses.Also,thecreationofapooloftalentisnecessary,butinsufficientto

enableQuebectotakeadvantagefromthesignificantpotentialeconomicbenefitsgeneratedofthe

commercializationofAIsolutions.Themainstrategicdirectionsofthisreportreflectthisvisionbyfirst

emphasizingthegrowthanddurabilityofanAIresearchhubinQuebec,thedevelopmentoftalentin

digitalsciencesthroughoutQuebecandtheacceleratedadoptionanddevelopmentofthesenew

technologiesbytheentireQuebececonomy.Itwillbeessentialtoproactivelyaddresstheissueof

responsibleAIwiththecommunity,giventhesocietalchangethatwillresultfromtheuseofAI.Finally,

thesefourstrategicorientationsrequirefacilitatingelements,suchasaccesstosuitablecomputing

power,whichwillalsoneedsupporttodevelop.

TheSteeringCommitteewillcontinueitsworkinthecomingweeks.Amongotherthings,itwillsollicit

governmentinputandworkcloselywithgovernmentandecosystemstakeholderstosupportthe

implementationoftherecommendations.

Someoftheapproachessuggestedinthisreportcan,andmust,becarriedoutquicklytoallowQuebecnotonlytostayintheglobalraceforAIexcellence,butalsotobecomealeaderinthisfield.

Hereisanoverviewoftheactionswerecommendthegovernmentimplementwithinsixmonthsofthe

tablingofthisreport.

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Proposed plan for the next s ix months

Asmentionedintheintroductiontothisreport,someofourrecommendationsinvolvelong-terminitiatives,whileothersareachievableintheimmediatefuture.Toensurethefastandeffectiveimplementationoftheelementsthatcanemergeinthenearfuture,hereisalistofannouncementstheMESIshouldmakeandconcreteactionsitshouldtakewithinsixmonthsofthetablingofthisreport.

First,theMESIshould:

1. Publiclyannouncethereport’smaindirections.2. Decideonanincrementaltimelineandfundingscheme(toachievefundingsustainabilityover10

yearsandincreasethebudgetenvelopeforthedevelopmentoftheAIecosystem.3. AnnouncethefundsgrantedtotheMILA–QuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstitutetosupportits

development.4. AnnounceitssupportofSCALE.IA.5. AnnouncethecreationoftheAI.Quebecgroupbytheendof2018.

Subsequently,theMESIwillneedtoactuponthereport’sstrategicdirectionsand:

1. AllocatetheappropriategrantstotheMILA–QuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstitute.2. AllocatetheappropriatelevelofgrantsfortheoperationalizationofSCALE.AI.3. SupportthecreationofapermanentAI.Quebecadministrativebodytoserveasamobilizing

force.4. GiveAI.Quebecthemandatetosetupa“talentwatch”withthesupportof

TECHNOCompétences.5. LaunchtheprogramforthecreationofAIsectoralchairs.6. WorkwiththeMinistryofImmigration,DiversityandInclusiontoaddAIfacultyandresearchers

andotherAIspecialiststothe“Volettalentsmondiaux”listofoccupationstospeeduptheimmigrationprocess.

7. SetupagovernmentbudgetenvelopetosupportQuebec'seducationalinstitutionsinupdatingtheirtrainingofferings.

8. SimplifyandacceleratethegovernmentapprovalprocessfortrainingprogramsofferedbyQuebeceducationalinstitutions.

9. ApproachtheChiefInformationOfficeroftheConseildutrésorduQuebectoundertakeastrategicplanningeffortforAIadoptionbytheQuebecgovernment.

10. Setupmarketingandtechnologytransfersupportprograms(private-privateprojectfinancingandsectoralsupportprograms).

11. AnnouncethelaunchoftheobservatoryonsociallyresponsibledevelopmentofAIandontheimpactsofAI,andmandateathinktankontheinternationalpositioningofQuebecinthisarea.

12. FollowuponthePremier’sannouncementregardingtheestablishmentofaglobalresponsibleAIorganizationinMontreal.

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Proposal for the al location of the $100M from the MESI and detai ls regarding the need for an additional $300M

Inlightofthestrategicdirectionspresentedinthisreport,belowareourallocationrecommendationsforthe$100MbudgetenvelopeearmarkedforthedevelopmentoftheQuebecAIecosystem.

First,theSteeringCommitteeisconvincedthatthedevelopmentoftheQuebecAIecosystemwillbedrivenbytheriseoftheMILA–QuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstituteandthereforerecommendstheallocationof:

• $80MtosupportthedevelopmentofMILA–QuebecArtificialIntelligenceInstitute,withaninitialamountof$65Mandaconditionalbalanceof$15Muponmeetingcertainmilestones(tobeestablishedwiththeMESI).ThedevelopmentofthisInstituteisthespearheadofthestrategyforthedevelopmentoftheAIinQuebecandservesmultiplestrategicdirectionsoutlinedinthisreport:theestablishmentofaresearchhub,talentdevelopment,thehivingoffofAIstart-ups,theadoptionofAIskillsbytheQuebectechnologytransfernetwork,makinganimportantcontributiontothedebatesregardingresponsibleAIandprovidingbetteraccesstocomputingpowerandcomputationalexpertisetoAIresearchers.

Also,weconsidermanyoftheinitiativesmentionedintherecommendationsaspriorities.Theseinitiativeswillrequiretimelyfinancingtotaling$20M,forwhichwerecommendthefollowingbreakdown:

• $10MtosupportthemarketingandadoptionofAIsolutions,including:o FinancingofsectoralsupportprogramsforcompanieslookingtomakeanAIshift.o Financialsupport(viataxcredits)forQuebecbusinessesthatmeettheirAIneeds

throughlocalstart-upsorSMEs.• $4MtosetupapermanentAI.Quebecadministrativebody

o Thisestimatetakesintoaccountthesalariesofateammadeupofafewpeopleandabudgettocarryoutthevariousactivitiesoftheorganization.

• $3.5MfortheestablishmentandoperationofaninternationalobservatoryonresponsibleAIandAIimpacts.

• $2.5Mforaseriesofimpactfulecosysteminitiatives:o Implementationofthe“talentwatch”thatwouldquicklyconductastudytodetermine

theindustry'sneedsintermsofAIandAI-relatedprofilesandskills,withaviewtomatchingtrainingtoemployment.

o UpgradingAItechnologytransferorganizationsusingatrain-the-trainerapproach.o Establishmentofthe“AI.Quebec”commonplatform,whichwilllistthevarious

ecosystemstakeholdersandtheirserviceofferings.o Financialsupporttocollegesanduniversitiestosupporttheminquicklyupdatingtheir

trainingoffering.

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Therefore,asoutlinedinthetablebelow,theMILAshouldreceiveupto$80Mofthe$202MtheQuebecgovernmenthassofarearmarkedforAIdevelopmentinQuebec,or39.6%oftheavailablebudgetenvelope

QuebecgovernmentAIinvestments

Actions Amountallocated(in$M)

Percentageoftotalinvestment

$100MfundfinancingprioritySupportthedevelopmentoftheMILA

80.0 39.6%

$100M fund financing priority Creation of aninternational observatory on responsible AI and AIimpacts

3.5 1.7%

$100MfundfinancingpriorityImplementationofAI.Quebec

4.0 2.0%

$100MfundfinancingprioritySupport for AI marketing and adoption, including thefinancing of sectoral support programs for companieswhowanttoshifttoAI.

10.0 5.0%

$100MfundfinancingprioritySupportforotherinitiatives,namelytheestablishmentofa“talentwatch,”modernizeAItransferorganizations,setup a common platform and support rapid updating ofeducationalinstitutions’trainingofferings

2.5 1.2%

Other AI investments – Launch of SCALE.AI project, AI-optimizedprocurementchains

60.0 29.7%

Other AI investments – Creation of the International AIOrganizationinMontreal

5.0 2.5%

Other AI investments – Applied math to support AI-relatedfieldsinQuebec

1.0 0.5%

Other AI investments – Digital economy action plan,measure1; support for the IVADOproject (Canada First)andCalculQuébec

5.0 2.5%

Other AI investments – Digital economy action plan,measure3;supportforcollaborativeresearchprojectsviaPrompt

8.5 4.2%

Other AI investments – Development of the computinginfrastructuresrequiredforAI’sdevelopment

12.5 6.2%

OtherAIinvestments–LaunchofHECMontréal’sCreativeDestructionLabMontréalandofNextAIMontreal

10.0 5.0%

TotalQuebecgovernmentfundingforthedevelopmentofAIinQuebec

202 100.0%

Inadditiontothe$202Mdetailedabove,westronglybelievethatanadditionalinvestmentofapproximately$300MisneededtohelpQuebecbecomealeaderinAI.Thisadditionalamountwillservethreemajorpurposes:

1) About50%ofthesefundsshouldgotowardsthesustainabilityoftheecosystem’sanchoringinstitutions(i.e.tosupporttheMILAandIVADOovera10-yearperiod),strengthenCalculQuébec’sabilitytomeettheneedsofitspartners(particularlySMEs)andensurethecreationandoperationofAI.QuebecandtheinternationalobservatoryinresponsibleIA.

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2) 20%oftheadditionalinvestmentwouldbeusedtoincreasethedevelopmentofAIanddigitalsciencetalentintheecosystem,includingthecreationofsectoralchairstodevelopanAIapplicationresearchhub,fundingsupportforadditionaluniversityandcollegefacultypositions,aswellasbringingtogetherandrampingupdemocratizationofscienceandmathematicalliteracyinitiatives.

3) And,30%ofthefundswouldbeusedtoacceleratethedevelopmentandmarketingprocessofQuebecAIsolutionsand,especially,theiradoptionbyorganizationsthatmakeupQuebec’seconomicnetwork.Inconcreteterms,thiswouldmeanearmarkinganadditionalbudgetenvelopetodirectlysupportcompaniesinmarketingtheirAIinnovations,rolloutsectoralprogramstosupporttheuseofAIandtodevelopthecapacitytoadoptAIofQuebec’sministriesandagencies.

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Appendices

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Summary of recommendations and suggested approaches

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 2: Develop digital science talents to meet Quebec’s needs

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 3:

Accelerate the development and adoption of AI solutions within Quebec’s economic fabric

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 4: Develop an international responsible AI and AI impact analysis hub in Quebec

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 1: Ensure the development and sustainability of Quebec’s AI academic research hub

STRATEGIC DIRECTION 5: Advance the development of ecosystem support structures

Recommendation 1: Attract researchers ▪ Support the development of the MILA – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute▪ Create excellence chairs by sector▪ Support the creation of academic positions (universities)▪ Set up a permanent chair program▪ Support the recruitment of university researchers ▪ Support the recruitment of professors/researchers within the college network▪ Add AI professors and researchers to “Volet talents mondiaux” professions list

Recommendation 2: Attract master’s and doctoral students ▪ Increase the visibility of research opportunities in AI and related fields▪ Increase financing for master’s and doctoral ▪ Increase foreign student retention programs

Recommendation 4: Support the updating of training offerings ▪ Support for the creation and modification of programs (does not include future online

courses)▪ Simplify and speed up government approval of training programs educational

institutions propose

Recommendation 3: Develop and maintain a “talent watch” ▪ Implement and roll out a “talent watch”

Recommendation 7: Support future private sector AI users ▪ Modernize the selected intermediary organizations▪ Support intermediaries in implementing consulting teams▪ Set up sector-specific AI shift coaching programs▪ Consider consolidating many technology transfer sector organizations into an applied

research institute

Recommendation 11: Creation of a permanent AI.Quebec administrative body ▪ Provide financing of AI.Quebec

Recommendation 6: Support AI design businesses ▪ Create data trusts ▪ Provide start-ups with priority access to Calcul Québec and Compute Canada▪ Subsidize partnerships between start-ups and private entreprise ▪ Review the government’s strategic procurement mode à▪ Implement marketing tax credits or funding programs

Recommendation 8: Government and Crown corporations as model AI users ▪ Implement the action plan on AI solution adoption within the government apparatus▪ Modernize regulations regarding the use of public data

Recommendation 9: Sustainability of mobilization efforts regarding responsible AI ▪ Creation of an observatory on responsible AI development and AI impact ▪ Position Quebec as an international leader in responsible AI

Recommendation 10: Access to computing power and computational expertise ▪ Support the development of Calcul Québec

Recommendation 12: Access to information on a common platform ▪ Create the AI.Quebec platform

Recommendation 5: Promote mathematical literacy and the democratization of science ▪ Set up an organization to coordinate and promote the striking force across Quebec

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Steering Committee members

Businesssector

PierreBoivin

(CommitteeCo-Chair)

PresidentandCEO

Claridgeinc.

ChrisArsenault

ManagingPartner

iNovia

ThomasBirch

Vice-President,FundsandTechnologies

CaissededépôtetplacementduQuebec

MagalyCharbonneauPrincipaliNovia,entrepreneur,(PasswordBoxacquiredbyIntel)

PatrickPichette

CorporateDirectorandStrategicAdvisor

ValeryZamuner

Vice-President,Mergers,AcquisitionsandStrategicInitiatives

Stingray

CharlesBoulanger

CEO

LeddarTech

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Universitysector

GuyBreton

(CommitteeCo-Chair)

Rector

UniversitédeMontréal

FrançoisBertrand

Director,Research,InnovationandInternationalAffairs

PolytechniqueMontréal

MarthaCrago

Vice-President,ResearchandInnovation

McGillUniversity

RobertGagné

Director,ResearchandTransfers—ChairoftheGoverningBoard

HECMontréal–IVADO

Marie-JoséeHébert

Vice-Rector,Research,DiscoveryandInnovation

UniversitédeMontréal

Observers

GillesSavard

GeneralManager

IVADO

YoshuaBengio

ScientificDirector

MILA,

UniversitédeMonréal

DoinaPrecup

AssociateProfessor,ITSchool

McGillUniversity

Marie-JoséeBlais

AssistantDeputyMinister

MinistryofEconomy,ScienceandInnovation

MarioBouchard

AssistantDeputyMinister

MinistryofEconomy,ScienceandInnovation

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List of people met during our work

Amyot,Robert–CAE

Anglade,Dominique–Ministèredel’Éducation,delaScienceetdel’Innovation

Baillet,Francis–Ubisoft

Barette,Gaétan–MinistèredelaSantéetdesServicesSociaux

Bastien,Frédéric–MILAetUniversitédeMontréal

Bastien,Frédéric–Mnubo

Beaudoin,Josée–CEFRIO

Béliveau,Louise–UniversitédeMontréal

Bellemare,Alain–Bombardier

Benoit,Suzanne–AllianceNumérique

Béraud,Frank–MontrealInVivo

Bernstein,Albert–CIFAR

Bertrand,François–PolytechniqueMontréal

Bérubé,Vincent–McKinsey&Compagnie

Blais,François–MinistèreduTravail,del'EmploietdelaSolidaritésociale

Boel,Nicolas-Louis–Altissia

Boivin,Benoit–SecrétariatduConseilduTrésor

Bolduc,Hubert–MontréalInternational

Borrelli,François–Prompt

Boufaden,Nariés–Keatext

Boulet,Benoît–UniversitéMcGill

Brodeur,Pierre–RegroupementdescollègesduMontréalmétropolitain

Brouillet,Eugénie–UniversitéLaval

Brunel,Benoit–BonjourSanté

Brunelle,Eric–DruideInformatique

Brunelle,Martin–Desjardins

Bruno,Richard–CIRANO

Cai,Changtian–HuaweiThechnologies

Carignan,François–Purkinje

Carle,Sylvain–AeroMontréal

Chagnon,André–SOJECCI

Chapados,Nicolas–Imagia

Chenette,Madeleine–Accenture

Clark,James–UniversitéMcGill

Clerk,Maxime–Prompt

Cléroux,Louis–BlockchainSuperclus

Coiteux,Martin–MinistèredesAffairesmunicipalesetdel'Occupationduterritoire

Corbo,Jacomo–QuantumBlack

Côté,Diane–MEDTEQ

Côté,Myriam–MILA

Cournoyer,Jean-Sébastien–ElementAI

Courville,Aaron–MILAetUniversitédeMontréal

D’Amours,Sophie–UniversitéLaval

Debbabi,Mourad–UniversitéConcordia

Deguire,Charles–Kinova

Delage,Jean-Nicolas–Notman–OSMO

Desbiens,Denis–IBM

Desmarais,Hélène–Centred’entreprisesetd’innovationdeMontréal

Divry,Lidia–TechnoMTL

Dumouchel,Pierre–ETS

ElAsri,Layla–Microsoft

Émond,Marie-Claude–AllianceNumérique

Faubert,Denis–CRIAQ–Most21

Fortier,Suzanne–UniversitéMcGill

Gagné,Christian–UniversitéLaval

Gagné,Jean-François,ElementAI

Garinis,Tom–Deloitte

Gauthier,Johanne–MTESS

Girard,Anne-Marie–UniversitédeMontréal

Gravel,Vivianne–B-citi

GrégoireRousseau,Jean-Sébastien–McKinsey&Compagnie

Halinaty,Mark–ThalesCanada

Hamel,Manon–CaissededépôtetplacementduQuébec

Houle,Sébastien–Productique

Huneault,Michel–ETS

Jacques,Pierre-Étienne–UniversitédeSherbrooke

Jaskolka,Norman–Aldo

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Klugman-Iain–Communitech

Labonté,Françoys–CRIM

Lacoste-Julien,Simon–MILAetUniversitédeMontréal

Lajoie,Gilles–SOQUIJ

Lalonde,Fred–GERAD

Lamothe,Marie-Josée–GoogleCanada

Lanoue,Josée–TechnoCompétences

Laportevation,Réal–Hydro-Québec

Larochelle,Hugo–MILAetGoogleCanada

Laviolette,François–UniversitéLaval

Lavoie,Alain–Irosoft

Lavoie,Valérie–Fédérationdescégeps

LeBouthillier,Alexandre–Imagia

Leblanc,Martin–Caprion

LeCun,Yann–Facebook

Létourneau,Stéphane–UniversitédeMontréal

Lévesque,Louis–FinanceMontréal

Lodi,Andrea–ChaireCERC,PolytechniqueMontréal

Martel,Nicole–AQT

Masson,Alexandra–QuébecInternational

Mauro,Andy–Automat.a

Molaret,Philippe–ThalesCanada

Montini,Emmanuel–CégepdeBois-de-Boulogne

Moravei,Amir–Botler/Nomino

Musbah,Mohamed–Microsoft

Noël,Jean-François–MEES

Pal,Christopher–PolytechniqueMontréal

Parent,Marc–CAE

Park,Thomas–BDCCapital

Patry,Michel–HECMontréal

Perreault,Jean-Pierre–UniversitédeSherbrooke

Pilon,Pascal–LANDR

Pineau,Joëlle–MILAetUniversitéMcGill

Poulin,Daniel–LEXUM

Poulin,Geneviève–Ubisoft

Prodromou,Evan–Fuzzy.ai

Raimondi,Patrick–Accenture

Rigazio,Luca–Panasonic

Roy,Louise–UniversitédeMontréal

Sabia,Micheal–CaissededépôtetplacementduQuébec

Schlesinger,Adam–BanqueNationaleduCanada

Schuler,Cameron–AMII

Sherry,Dave–Lightspeed

Sirois,Luc–Prompt

Smirnov,Alexis–Dialogue

Talon,Suzanne–CalculQuébec

Tarnowski,Marcos–McKinsey&Compagnie

Têtu,Louis–Coveo

Thérien,Denis–UniversitéMcGill

Tremblay,Jean-François–Institutdel’électrification

Trépanier,Martin–CIRRELT

Trischler,Adam–Microsoft

Usal,Siefried–ThalesCanada(CortAIx)

Vachon,Louis–BanqueNationaleduCanada

Vallée,Nathalie–CollègeAhuntsic

Veerman,Alan–VectorInstitute

Viel,Carl–QuébecInternational

Vigeant,Daniel–CollègeLionel-Groulx

Vigneault,Mathieu–Transtech

Vinet,Luc–CRM

Wallis,Jodie–Accenture

TheCommitteewouldalsoliketothankallthepeoplewhoweremetduringtheworkontheStrategyfortheDevelopmentofQuebec’sArtificialIntelligenceEcosystemthatarenotmentionedinthislist.

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Overview of public and corporate f inancing

Figure6–AIorganizationssupportedandsourceoftheinvestments

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Online courses

QuebecwillbenefitfromitssupportofonlinecoursedevelopmentasitwillmeetthetrainingneedsofalltheAI

ecosystem’shumanresources:pre-universitygraduateswhowanttobecomefamiliarwithdatapreparation

techniques,computerscientistseagertoacquiremachinelearningskillstocomplementtheirbasicskills,

agriculture,healthortransportationexpertslookingtouseAIintheirnicheofexpertiseormanagerswhowantto

meetthestrategicchallengesofAIandAI-applicationuseintheirbusiness.

Firstofall,thecreationofFrenchonlinecourses–asubjectinwhichUniversitéLaval,HECMontréalorTéluq

possessenviableexpertise–willmakeitpossibletoreachallQuebecersconcernedbyAInomatterwherethey

live.WhileitwillberelativelyeasyforworkersandfutureworkersinMontrealandothermajorurbancentresin

QuebectotakecoursesatMILAorothercentresorin-persontraininginstitutions,someAIcoursesshouldalsobe

offeredvirtuallysothattheyareaccessibletothegreatestnumberofpeople,fromGaspésietoOutaouaistoLes

Bois-Francs.TheriseofAIwillaffectallofQuebec’sregions,andallofthemshouldhaveeasyaccesstohigh-

qualityonlinecourses.

Somealsobelievethat,giventherightconditions,onlinecoursescanbeaneffectivetoolforattractingwomento

thefieldofAI.Theflexibilityofferedbythistrainingapproachcouldhelpsomewomen,includingmothers,

continueorresumetheirstudies.59

ThecreationofFrenchonlinecourseswillalsobeagreatwaytoraiseawarenessandtrainmembersofLa

FrancophoniewhowanttopursueacareerinAIorbetterunderstandthetechnologiesproducedbythissector.In

somecases,theonlinecoursesdevelopedinQuebecwillevenencourageforeignstudentstocompletetheir

traininglocally,eitherinQuebecuniversitiesorcollegesacrosstheprovince.Infact,QuebeconlineAIcourses

couldserveasagreatcallingcardforourresearchers,educationalandresearchinstitutionsandbusinesses.

Intheshortterm,thecreationofFrenchonlinecoursesmayevenencourageorganizationstoadoptAI,since

someofthemarecurrentlyreluctanttoprovideinstructor-ledtrainingfortheiremployeeslesttheyberecruited

bythecompetitiononcetheircourseisover.

ForQuebec,thechallengeoverthenextfewyearswillnotbetodirectoroverseetheeffortsalreadyundertakenbymanyoftheprovince'sacademic,collegeandtechnicalinstitutionstocreatecreditedanduncreditedonlineAI

coursesthattheywillofferaspartoftheirnormalorcontinuingtrainingprograms.

However,theprovinceshouldmakeresourcesavailablesothattrainingstakeholderscandevelophigh-quality

onlinecoursesonstrategicAItopicswhereneedsdonotmatchthetrainingoffering.Thismayoccurbecause:

• Producingaveryhigh-qualitycoursecanbeexpensiveforaninstitution(anestimated$80,000to

$150,000).

• Theinitialdemandforacoursemaybeinsufficient(toofewstudentsenrollinthefirstyears).

• Thedemandforacoursecanbeconsiderablewithoutanyreturnoninvestment(e.g.,inthecaseoffree

orlow-costbulkcourses,theexpenseswillobviouslybegreaterthantherevenues).

Therefore,ifthe“talentwatch”revealsalackofonlinecourses,theSteeringCommitteewillrecommendthe

QuebecgovernmentcreateabudgetenvelopetosupportthedevelopmentbyQuebec'seducationalinstitutions

ofonlineAIcoursestomeetthevariousneedsofQuebecorganizations.

ThemanagementofthisbudgetenvelopecouldbeentrustedtoAI.Quebec,which,incloseconsultationwiththe

industryandAIeducationalinstitutions,wouldissuecallsforproposalstosetuponlinecoursesinFrench,and

possiblyinotherlanguages,suchasEnglishandSpanish,totrainthehumanresourcescompaniesthatdevelop

anduseAIwillrequireatalllevels

59Seehttps://www.al-fanarmedia.org/2017/03/can-moocs-womens-entryway-stem/.

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TheamountsavailableshouldbeusedtocreatecoursesthatwillattractQuebecandforeignworkersandstudents

totheQuebecAIecosystem,particularlyuniversityandcollege-basedinstitutionsthatofferprogramsthatwill

enablethemtoperfecttheirAItraining.

Inthisrespect,itwouldbeagoodideatoapplytotheAIsectiontheJeunesleadersdelaFrancophonie

frameworkthatHECMontréalanditspartnersadvocate.SupportedfinanciallybyGlobalAffairsCanada,this

initiativeaimstoencouragestart-upsinBenin,BurkinaFaso,HaitiandSenegal.TenthousandFrancophoneswill

beginbyfollowingaseriesofonlinecoursesforpotentialentrepreneurs.Then,themostpromisingstudentswill

receivesupportfromtutorsandmentorstoproduceabusinessplanandstarttheirownbusiness.Theproject’s

promotershopethat,inthelongrun,itwillgenerate240newstart-upcompaniesinthesefourselected

countries.60

DevelopAI’sFrenchlexiconTheDataFrancaproject(www.datafranca.org),issupportedfinanciallybytheOfficequébécoisdelalangue

française,ledbyateamthatincludesanartificialintelligenceandlinguisticsspecialistandendorsedbycompanies

likeGoogleBrainMontréal.TheprojectaimstodevelopFrenchAIterminologythroughaparticipatoryprocess.

TheterminologyproducedbytheexpertswillbeusedtocreateFrenchWikipediaarticlesonAIandimprove

existingWikipediaarticles.DataFrancamanagerswillalsodistributetheresultsofthisprojectonnetworkssuchas

LinkedInandreferenceresourcessuchastheGranddictionnaireterminologique.Bysupportingthisinitiative,theOfficequébécoisdelalanguefrançaiseishelpingQuebecsocietyembraceawholenewindustry(inthewordsof

thepromoters,tomakeit“asQuébécoisasmaplesyrup”),promotethetransferofAIknowledgetonon-experts

(French-speakingAIusers,journalists,teachers),providetheframeworkforfutureFrench-languageAIcourses

(e.g.,forCEGEPstudentsandAIusers)andpromotethecominginQuebecof“French-speakingbrains”interested

inAI.

60Seehttp://fr.allafrica.com/stories/201710110712.html.

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FINALVERSION

AIstandards

TheInternationalOrganizationforStandardization(ISO)definesitsstandardasa“document,establishedbyconsensusandapprovedbyarecognizedbody,thatprovides,forrepeatedandcommonuse,rules,guidelinesorcharacteristicsforactivitiesortheirresults,aimedattheachievementofanoptimumdegreeoforderinagivencontext.”TheISOaddsthat“[s]tandardsshouldbebasedontheconsolidatedresultsofscience,technologyandexperience,andaimedatthepromotionofoptimumcommunitybenefits.”61

StandardsareusuallypublishedbynationalstandardizationbodiessuchastheStandardsCouncilofCanadaorinternationalorganizationssuchasISO.

Standardscanalsobegeneratedbyacompanythatholdsastrongcompetitiveposition(suchasMicrosoft),aprofessionalassociation(suchastheInstituteofElectricalandElectronicsEngineersorIEEE)oraconsortiumofcompanies(liketheCanadianWirelessTelecommunicationsAssociation).

Standardsareimportantbecausetheyleadtoreducedrisksfordevelopers,promotersandusersofaproductorservice.Forexample,settingstandardsonrailspacingsupportedthedevelopmentoftheU.S.railindustry.Indeed,beforethespacingwassetto4’8½”attheendofthe19thcentury,trainscouldnotnecessarilymovefromonerailnetworktoanother.Similarly,settingrulesabouthowmuchmethylmercuryisacceptableinfishthatissoldprotectsthehealthofconsumers.

Inthetechnologysector,standardsensurethesmoothrunningoftheInternet,sothatthesamecomputercanseamlesslyconnecttothewebfromanycountryandanyWi-Finetwork,helpuserslearnnewsoftware(it’snocoincidencethattheGoogleDocsmenubarlookslikeMicrosoftWord's,theleaderinwordprocessingsoftware)andletsthemuseFrenchorChinesecharactersinadomainname.

ThecreationofspecificAIstandardshasintensifiedinrecentyears.In2017,theISOsetupSub-Committee42(SC42)to“[s]erveasthefocusandproponentforJTC1's[thereferencebodyforthestandardizationofinformationtechnologies]standardizationprogramonArtificialIntelligence”and“[p]rovideguidancetoJTC1,IEC,andISOcommitteesdevelopingArtificialIntelligenceapplications.”62Foritspart,theIEEEhasjustpublishedthesecondeditionoftheEthicallyAlignedDesignReport:AVisionforPrioritizingHumanWellbeingwithAutonomousandIntelligentSystems(A/IS),whichcontainsrecommendationsonstrategiesfordesigningintelligentandautonomousITtoolsthattakeintoaccounthumanvaluesandwhichcangraduallybetranslatedintostandards.63

InAI,standardscanbeusedtoensure:

• ThatAIproducersandusersusecommondefinitionsandvocabularytofacilitatetheirexchangeonthesubject.

• ThatitiseasierandcheapertoexchangeandintegratethedatarequiredforAIdevelopment.• ThatAIpractitionersuseexemplarydesignandproductionpracticesand,asaresult,avoidsuboptimal

waysofdoingthings(suchasover-learningoroverfitting).

• ThattherisksassociatedwiththeemergenceofnewAItechnology(e.g.,self-drivingvehicles)andmethodstomitigatetheserisksbeidentifiedusingspecificandrigorousapproaches;64and

• Thattheintegrationoffundamentalethicalprinciples(e.g.,equity)bedoneattheinitialstagesoftooldesign.65

61Seehttps://www.cairn.info/revue-francaise-de-gestion-2003-6-page-49.htm.62Seehttps://www.iso.org/fr/committee/6794475.html.63Seehttps://ethicsinaction.ieee.org/.64Seehttps://arxiv.org/pdf/1709.02435.pdf.65Seehttps://www.techrepublic.com/article/ieee-announces-3-ai-standards-to-protect-human-well-being-in-the-robot-revolution/.