Simona Chiose / en ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ’s dental clinics in the spotlight during federal minister's tour /news/u-t-s-dental-clinics-spotlight-during-federal-minister-s-tour <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"> ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ’s dental clinics in the spotlight during federal minister's tour </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/lead2.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=4FSe5kjE 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/lead2.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=39jmszQz 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/lead2.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=n24S9HZL 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/lead2.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=4FSe5kjE" alt="minister ahmed shakes hands with a student and another photo showing the dentistry teaching lab"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-04-05T10:09:32-04:00" title="Wednesday, April 5, 2023 - 10:09" class="datetime">Wed, 04/05/2023 - 10:09</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p>Ahmed Hussen, Canada's&nbsp;minister of housing and diversity and inclusion, recently took a tour of the Faculty of Dentistry dental clinics, which serve about 15,000 patients a year (photos by Johnny Guatto)</p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/simona-chiose" hreflang="en">Simona Chiose</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-dentistry" hreflang="en">Faculty of Dentistry</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A&nbsp;commitment by the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Dentistry to provide&nbsp;access to dental services for all populations can help support the new Canadian Dental Care Plan,&nbsp;said Ahmed Hussen, Canada's&nbsp;minister of housing and diversity and inclusion, during a recent tour of the faculty’s dental clinics.</p> <p>Hussen’s March 31 visit&nbsp;followed the announcement in this year’s federal budget of multiple measures to improve access to dentistry in Canada, including the launch of the Dental Care Plan. Once the plan is fully phased in, all families without insurance and a family income of up to $90,000 are expected to receive care.&nbsp;</p> <p>³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ’s clinic, the only dental school in the country to offer all 10 dental specialties, has been closing the gap in access to dental care for the past 50 years. The clinic serves approximately 15,000 patients a year and saw 93,000 patient visits last year. More than 400 doctor of dental surgery students and 80&nbsp;dental specialist graduate students receive training in working with vulnerable populations. Services are provided at lower cost than in private dental practices.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“The University of Toronto’s Faculty of Dentistry is a critical component of the dental safety-net system to everyone in our communities,†said Professor <strong>Jim Yuan Lai</strong>, vice-dean of education at the Faculty of Dentistry. “Through our clinics, we are closing the gap in dental care for the one in five Canadians who face barriers to access and preventing poor health outcomes that can lead to more expensive interventions.â€&nbsp;</p> <p>The Faculty of Dentistry’s dental clinics also accept patient referrals from private dental practices.&nbsp;Information on becoming a patient <a href="https://patients.dentistry.utoronto.ca/referrals">is available on their website.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/UofT92511_2023-03-31-Dentistry%20Minister%20HonAhmedHussen%20Visit%20%2812%29-lpr.JPG" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em>Ahmed Hussen, left, speaks with Professor Jim Yuan Lai, right, while students at ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ’s Faculty of Dentistry look on (photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></p> <p>Hussen visited several learning clinics operated by the faculty and spoke to students about how their training prepares them to attend to the health needs of vulnerable populations. The new national plan could increase the number of patients who receive services through the clinics, he said.&nbsp;</p> <p>“This is amazing work that is being done here&nbsp;and, as the federal government, we want to make sure this work is supported&nbsp;– and one of the ways to do that is to empower and enable more people to access this wonderful service.&nbsp;</p> <p>“That’s why we are proud to introduce the Canadian Dental Care Plan, which will provide coverage for up to nine million uninsured Canadians when fully implemented. With this plan, no Canadian will ever again have to choose between maintaining their oral health and paying their bills,†Hussen said.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/UofT92504_2023-03-31-Dentistry%20Minister%20HonAhmedHussen%20Visit%20%285%29-lpr.JPG" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em>Ahmed Hussen&nbsp;watches a procedure at the Faculty of Dentistry’s dental clinics (photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></p> <p>A survey conducted by the faculty in the summer of 2021 showed that 83 per cent of patients who are seen at the clinics earn less than $50,000 annually; are twice as likely to report food insecurity; and are a third less likely to have dental insurance compared to other Canadians. Sixty percent of patients polled reported avoiding dental visits due to cost. Patients visiting the clinics came from across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.&nbsp;</p> <p>Patients who come in may have multiple issues that have been neglected, said <strong>Dave Dunbar</strong>, a fourth-year student in the program.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;“People often come in with complex cases and you have the opportunity to learn a lot and provide a big improvement in their quality of life, in their eating and speaking and socially,†said Dunbar, who is president of the Dental Students’ Society.&nbsp;“These clinics are imperative to providing health care in this city, where there is a high immigration rate and a big discrepancy in access to care.</p> <p>“Our clinics help to bridge that gap significantly.â€&nbsp;</p> <p>In addition to the clinics at the faculty, dental students gain experience through rotations at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto Public Health Clinics&nbsp;and youth-focused, community-based clinics.&nbsp;</p> <p>The faculty is looking to increase the number of patients so students have exposure to the full range of services and needs they will encounter after graduation, Lai said, adding this is an area of potential collaboration with the federal government.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <p>In addition to&nbsp;launching the Canadian Dental Care Plan, the federal budget introduced the Oral Health Access Fund, which proposes to provide $250 million over three years to remove barriers to care, including in rural and remote communities, and investments in collecting and analyzing better data on dental care.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 05 Apr 2023 14:09:32 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 181229 at 'A really pivotal player': President Meric Gertler on ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's contribution to Toronto's booming tech scene /news/really-pivotal-player-president-meric-gertler-u-t-s-contribution-toronto-s-booming-tech-scene <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">'A really pivotal player': President Meric Gertler on ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's contribution to Toronto's booming tech scene</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/0523_MericCollision003.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=9JhVLIn- 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/0523_MericCollision003.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=IMSuxMRV 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/0523_MericCollision003.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=86_GNfV- 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/0523_MericCollision003.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=9JhVLIn-" alt="Meric Gertler at Collision"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-05-24T10:19:38-04:00" title="Friday, May 24, 2019 - 10:19" class="datetime">Fri, 05/24/2019 - 10:19</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ President Meric Gertler underscored the university’s role in supporting Toronto’s thriving tech industry and the region’s innovation economy during a panel discussion at this week’s Collision conference (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/simona-chiose" hreflang="en">Simona Chiose</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ontario-impact" hreflang="en">Ontario Impact</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/artificial-intelligence" hreflang="en">Artificial Intelligence</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/president-gertler" hreflang="en">President Gertler</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/vector-institute" hreflang="en">Vector Institute</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The University of Toronto is making significant contributions to the thriving Toronto tech industry and the region’s innovation economy, ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ President <strong>Meric Gertler</strong> told the Collision tech conference Thursday during a panel discussion on how start-ups can prepare for success.</p> <p>“The university is both a really pivotal player in generating talent, [while] attracting and retaining talent,†said President Gertler.</p> <p>“That makes a big difference in a city like this.â€</p> <p>He added the university’s goal is to create well-rounded graduates and entrepreneurs who understand customers’ needs and deliver advanced solutions. &nbsp;“We have focused on core competencies we want to develop in our students – things like being able to work well in teams, being able to communicate and collaborate effectively across cultural boundaries,†President Gertler said.</p> <p>“We are trying to take advantage of the fact that Toronto is such a global city, and our student body is so global, to make sure we develop those capacities in our students.â€</p> <p>The three-day Collision conference wrapped up Thursday. It was the first of three years that the North American tech conference will be hosted&nbsp;in Toronto. Over 25,000 people from 120 countries, 800 investors and over 70 trade missions attended.</p> <p>Almost 20 ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ start-ups participated in the event, including fintech firm Tenzor AI, and MedMe Health, which offers caregivers and patients help in adhering to medication regimes.</p> <p>The schedule was packed with talks, seminars and day and evening networking events for investors and start-ups. New partnerships were also hatched, <a href="/news/lg-expands-research-partnership-u-t-focuses-ai-applications-businesses">including an expanded collaboration between ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ and LG</a> that will focus on AI applications for businesses.&nbsp;</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/0523_MericCollision008_0.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ is building&nbsp;a “highway†between its existing and aspiring entrepreneurship community, President Gertler said&nbsp;(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</em></p> <p>Across various panels and speeches by the private sector and government, a consensus seemed to emerge: This is Canada’s moment.</p> <p>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicked off the event Monday telling the opening night crowd that education and immigration policies are ensuring next-generation companies have the talent they need.</p> <p>The “Canadian advantage is in providing extraordinarily well educated, hardworking, forward thinking, creative, ambitious Canadians to be part of the global economy,†Trudeau said.</p> <p>Ontario Premier Doug Ford echoed those comments in remarks Tuesday.</p> <p>“If you are considering investing in Ontario, the most important thing you should look at is the people,†he said.</p> <p>“Ontario has the best educated workforce in the world.â€</p> <p>Over the past decade, ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ entrepreneurs have created more than 500 companies and generated more than $1 billion in investment. The university will continue to build on those successes and is now creating a “highway†between its existing and aspiring entrepreneurship community, according to President Gertler.</p> <p>For example, ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ recently launched <a href="/news/true-blue-fund-will-support-early-stage-startups-u-t">a new $5-million True Blue Fund</a> for entrepreneurship that targets early-stage start-ups.</p> <p>³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ entrepreneurs like <strong>Allen Lau</strong>, co-founder and CEO of story-sharing platform Wattpad, with more than 65 million users, said the quality and global experience of university graduates in Toronto, combined with the city’s regional and national connections to other tech ecosystems, are keeping tech companies in Canada.</p> <p>“Almost from day one we were able to build a workforce that can support our global ambitions,†said Lau, a ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ alumnus.</p> <p>He added that about half the company’s workforce speaks another language, a crucial benefit for a company with an international customer base.</p> <p>“I don’t believe that many cities in the world can do that. I am not saying Toronto is the only one, but Toronto is probably the best one to do that,†he told the audience.</p> <p>Other speakers noted that Canada and Toronto will continue to be top destinations for the tech industry thanks in part to initiatives like the <a href="/news/toronto-s-vector-institute-officially-launched">Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence</a>.</p> <p>“Our AI ecosystem has done a really good job of putting Toronto on the map as a cluster of excellence,†said Candice Faktor, a managing partner with Faktory Ventures, a Toronto-based early-stage tech fund.</p> <p>“[<a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-professors/">University Professor</a> Emeritus] <strong>Geoffrey Hinton </strong>and his lab and his descendants have become world recognized … So the corporate R&amp;D labs are being set up here, global talent is really interested in working with the best here,†she said of Vector’s chief scientific advisor who is sometimes dubbed the “godfather of deep learning.â€</p> <p>Twenty-five thousand jobs related to AI are anticipated in the Toronto region alone, according to <strong>Bianca Miller </strong>of&nbsp;the Vector Institute. To keep up, universities and companies will have to graduate new cohorts in the field while upskilling current employees, she said.</p> <p>Failing to make those investments will lead to missed opportunities, Miller added, pointing to estimates that AI will add as much as US$15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 24 May 2019 14:19:38 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 156759 at ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ and AI: Faculty members on their research and its impact /news/u-t-and-ai-faculty-members-their-research-and-its-impact <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ and AI: Faculty members on their research and its impact</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-10-24-Goldie-Nejat-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ciuW5uHZ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2018-10-24-Goldie-Nejat-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=UNhEPhO5 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2018-10-24-Goldie-Nejat-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=S0IPZOHA 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-10-24-Goldie-Nejat-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ciuW5uHZ" alt="Photo of Goldie Nejat"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-10-24T11:20:13-04:00" title="Wednesday, October 24, 2018 - 11:20" class="datetime">Wed, 10/24/2018 - 11:20</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">“Human movement and behaviour are unpredictable, so we are seeing if robots can adapt and react to that,†says Goldie Nejat, an associate professor in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/simona-chiose" hreflang="en">Simona Chiose</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-health-policy-management-and-evaluation" hreflang="en">Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/artificial-intelligence" hreflang="en">Artificial Intelligence</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/computer-science" hreflang="en">Computer Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/dalla-lana-school-public-health" hreflang="en">Dalla Lana School of Public Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-information" hreflang="en">Faculty of Information</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rotman-school-management" hreflang="en">Rotman School of Management</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Scarborough</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>More time to interact with patients, improved efficiency in health-care delivery, and new global communities of exchange and communication: According to University of Toronto researchers, these are just some of the positive outcomes of artificial intelligence.</p> <p>“AI has the power to change the way we live&nbsp;and work, making more human capital available to focus on creativity and innovation,†says&nbsp;<strong>Cristina Amon</strong>, dean of the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering.</p> <p>Artificial intelligence and automation, and the impact of advanced technology on business strategy and workforce demand and supply, is one of the themes that will be discussed at this year’s Ontario Economic Summit. Together with leaders in the private, public and not-for-profit sector, ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ researchers and entrepreneurs will be showcasing how they are seizing these opportunities.</p> <p>Work at ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ is already demonstrating how advances in machine learning can accelerate gains in health, education, communication and quality of life, as well as the importance of educating students to think about the ethics of the technology.</p> <p><strong>Fahad Razak, assistant professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation<br> Team member, General Medicine Inpatient Initiative (GEMINI)</strong></p> <p>What makes some patients more likely to have a poor prognosis after being discharged from hospital?</p> <p>The answer lies somewhere in the three&nbsp;billion data points now included in the General Medicine Inpatient Initiative (GEMINI) health database, says&nbsp;Razak, who is also an internist at St. Michael’s Hospital.</p> <p>GEMINI is the result of a team of physicians, public health advocates, and data scientists working to standardize much of the information hospitals collect about patients across seven Ontario hospitals. By tracking and comparing data on admission, discharge and tests, among other metrics, GEMINI will lead to more accurate predictions about the outcomes for individual patients and the ability to intervene to improve them.</p> <p>Three billion individual pieces of data “is the kind of volume we need to develop predictions,†Razak says.</p> <p>But the process of standardizing the data from different hospitals has also revealed gaps in the information now collected.</p> <p>Because of privacy and confidentiality concerns, hospitals don’t collect income, education or second-language status data. Those characteristics, however, are important variables affecting health, Razak says.</p> <p>“Many problems have to be overcome before the data can become a public policy tool.â€</p> <h3><a href="/news/u-t-has-key-role-play-developing-and-implementing-new-ai-technologies-ontario-economic-summit">Read more: ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ has 'key role to play' in developing and implementing new AI technologies</a></h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Goldie Nejat, Canada Research Chair in Robots for Society; associate professor, Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</strong></p> <p>After reading about or seeing the robots being produced in Nejat’s lab, people have written her personal letters. &nbsp;</p> <p>“I’ve been asked, ‘How can I get one of these robots? A family member has dementia and I can’t leave them alone,’†says Nejat. &nbsp;</p> <p>The socially assistive robots are designed to help seniors improve their quality of life. They can score bingo cards or play memory games in nursing homes, or help prepare meals at home.</p> <p>Nejat’s research team is now working on robots that can switch between all of those tasks seamlessly, the way a human can, she says.</p> <p>“Human movement and behaviour are unpredictable, so we are seeing if robots can adapt and react to that,†Nejat says.</p> <p>The hope is that by taking over routine tasks, the robots will free personal-care workers to spend more time interacting with the people they care for in meaningful ways.</p> <p><strong>Ashton Anderson, assistant professor in the department of computer and mathematical sciences at ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Scarborough and the tri-campus graduate department of computer science</strong></p> <p>The availability of data about how millions of people are using online technology to communicate with each other is an unprecedented development for the social sciences, says&nbsp;Anderson.</p> <p>Anderson teaches computational social science to undergraduates and graduate students, covering topics like crowdsourcing, the interactions of human and algorithmic decision-making, and bias and ethics in computational systems.</p> <p>“There is no other subject that is most relevant to the giant companies,†Anderson says.</p> <p>“Facebook and Google are basically graph algorithms that the students are learning. …&nbsp;They come out from my class with concrete skills they can apply to social data.â€</p> <p>Ethics in computing is another area that is receiving increasing attention, he says. Graduate students have always grappled with those issues, but now undergraduates are exposed to the topic as well.</p> <p>Anderson points to questions about how Facebook data is collected and stored by app developers as an example.&nbsp; “I have a lecture on ethical issues in social network mapping which is new, and it’s there because of the issues happening outside [the classroom].â€</p> <p><strong>Avi Goldfarb, Rotman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare<br> Co-author<em>, Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence</em></strong></p> <p>AI has enormous potential to improve the quality of human life, Goldfarb says.&nbsp;He predicts jobs will be focused on tasks that require emotional understanding, dexterity and judgment, while robots will take on the routines of life.</p> <p>Continued education can help support everyone’s ability to participate in a world shaped by the fourth industrial revolution.</p> <p>“It is important to have a social safety net to help those who fall behind and to make changes to adult education and lifelong learning so that people who need to acquire new skills are motivated to do so,†he says.</p> <p>At the same time, public policies will have to encourage competition and innovation, and protect individual privacy and choice.</p> <p>&nbsp;“Privacy policy will have to get the balance right between encouraging the development of AI through intellectual property, liability and trade policy, and protecting privacy and excessive concentration of commercial AI companies.â€</p> <p><strong>Elizabeth Dhuey, associate professor of economics, University of Toronto Scarborough</strong></p> <p>How does a student take an evening course in data analytics if they do not have child care at night? And how do they choose between investing in their career and paying for daycare?</p> <p>Those are the kinds of questions that will increasingly confront individuals and institutions as lifelong learning becomes a necessity in the labour market, says&nbsp;Dhuey, a labour economist who is one of three faculty members leading the <a href="http://publicpolicy.utoronto.ca/faculty-initiative-the-future-of-work/">Future Skills initiative</a>, a project from the Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy.</p> <p>“It will be difficult to be involved in lifelong learning when you have child-care needs, or you have to figure out how to finance courses,†she says.</p> <p>Working with organizations in the private and public sector, including financial institutions, school boards and universities, the Future Skills team members are analyzing large data sets, such as those collected on the Lynda.com learning platform, to make recommendations on what kind of learner supports are required.</p> <p>“There is a lot of focus on identifying and naming the skills we need, but we are not talking about some of the big questions, about child care, and about financing.â€</p> <p><strong>Brian Cantwell Smith, Reid Hoffman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and the Human, Faculty of Information </strong></p> <p>Advances in artificial intelligence are leading to more people asking the question that has kept Cantwell Smith busy for several decades: Are we really that different from a machine?</p> <p>If the human mind shares the same architecture as that of a computer’s artificial neural network, what makes us unique?</p> <p>His provisional conclusion is that even if human and artificial circuits operate according to the same rules, some characteristics are ours alone. Wisdom is one example, he says.</p> <p>A computer, for example, may be able to offer a more accurate cancer diagnosis than a doctor.</p> <p>“If someone says, ‘Look, I have two kids, and if I do two years of chemo, I will get three years of life, are people generally happy with that choice? How do I decide?’ The AI is not going to have that kind of judgment,†he says.</p> <p>Such questions cannot be left to experts to decide, Cantwell Smith says. A&nbsp;$2.45-million gift from Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, will help design public engagement strategies on these issues.</p> <p>&nbsp;“To be an educated person in the 2020s you will have to understand these things at various levels of depth. I am trying to put into circulation ideas that give people a vocabulary to talk about the whole phenomenon.â€</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 24 Oct 2018 15:20:13 +0000 noreen.rasbach 145660 at