Across the planet, corporations and municipalities account for over 30 per cent of accessible and renewable freshwater usage. They generate colossal amounts of wastewater containing various concentrations of elements such as copper, zinc, titanium, and mercury, which unfortunately make their way into our drinking water. Now, instead of worrying about[Read More…]
Tag: Artificial Intelligence
Innovative algorithm develops theories on rules of human language
Over the last several years, artificial intelligence (AI) has made huge strides forward in the areas of language modelling and translation. Recent improvements are exemplified by the accuracy of machine translation services such as Google Translate, the ability of devices like Amazon’s Alexa to interpret and respond to instructions given[Read More…]
Is Montreal the next powerhouse of AI research?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly commonplace in our society—from its implementation in smartphone apps like Siri and the curation of playlists on platforms like Spotify, to credit score calculations and even works of art. Over the past several years, McGill and, more broadly, Montreal, has emerged as a hub[Read More…]
Six McGill undergrads win UofT international artificial intelligence competition
A team of six undergraduate McGill students placed first in the International Artificial Intelligence Competition ProjectX, which ran from Sept. 1 to Jan. 31. Hosted by the University of Toronto, the annual competition challenges students to develop new models of machine learning with practical, real-world applications. Of the three categories[Read More…]
Using AI to save lives
Content warning: Mention of suicide and suicidal ideation. Young people aged 18-29 reported some of the highest rates of depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before the social isolation wrought by the pandemic, rates of suicidal ideation among college-aged individuals were troubling: In a 2019 sample survey of[Read More…]
How precision medicine and artificial intelligence can reshape cancer care
Cancer treatment is one of the most intricate challenges of contemporary medicine. One complication that often arises is the trial and error prescription of drugs that are often ineffective against a given type of tumour or for a particular patient. Moreover, these treatments often produce exhausting side effects. The ability[Read More…]
Data scientists seek the perfect picture of a whale
For most Quebec residents, whale watching is a special occasion. For Whale Seeker, a Montreal-based artificial intelligence (AI) developer, it’s everyday business. To meet the needs of ecological research, Whale Seeker uses cutting-edge AI technologies to detect marine mammals with imaging methods that can be delivered as quickly and as[Read More…]
Exploring how artificial intelligence could redefine health care
Before Siri and Alexa, programmers created Eliza. Developed in 1964, Eliza was the first chatbot capable of recreating conversations between a psychotherapist and a patient. This chatbot pushed the boundaries of artificial intelligence (AI), a still-emerging field at the time, into the domain of health care. Despite researcher’s best efforts,[Read More…]
Teaching AI to learn by positive reinforcement
Training conscious beings to complete a task often entails offering a reward as an incentive: You might offer a puppy a treat if it sits, or you might give a child a lollipop if they stay quiet at a concert. In the realm of computer science, the same is true[Read More…]
Montreal start-up Aifred Health is applying AI to mental healthcare
Mental health treatments for conditions such as depression are currently based on an arduous ‘trial and error’ process. Matching people with the right care is difficult: An individual experiencing depression might consult different specialists who may recommend various different kinds of treatment, none of which could actually work. Aifred Health,[Read More…]
