New uOttawa AI Centre Helps Ottawa Businesses Put AI to Work

Ottawa is home to a new resource for businesses looking to put artificial intelligence to work: the University of Ottawa's Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence, based in the university's Faculty of Engineering.

Connecting research to real problems

The centre is directed by uOttawa Faculty of Engineering Professor Lionel Briand. Briand said the centre isn't focused on theory, even though it has many talented AI researchers on hand. Instead, the goal is helping organizations use AI effectively and safely to solve difficult problems in novel ways.

That framing matters for Ottawa's business community and for Canadian companies more broadly. Only about 12% of Canadian companies currently make significant use of AI, according to the centre. A university-based centre built specifically to bridge the distance between AI research and everyday business problems gives local companies a local option, rather than having to look outside the region for that kind of expertise.

A track record with industry

The centre isn't starting from scratch. Its researchers have already partnered with General Motors, assisting with AI-based vehicle safety systems designed for lane-merging scenarios. That kind of partnership shows the centre isn't limited to small or local companies. It's built to work with major industry players on safety-critical systems, applying academic research to problems that have real consequences on the road.

For Ottawa businesses weighing whether AI adoption is worth the investment, that kind of case study offers a concrete example of what a partnership with the centre can look like in practice: a defined technical problem, applied research, and a system that ships.

Industry sessions open to Ottawa businesses

Beyond individual partnerships, the centre also runs discussion sessions aimed at specific industries wrestling with practical AI challenges. It recently hosted a session focused on finance, and has a session planned for October that will focus on AI-driven software development.

Given how early most Canadian companies still are in their AI adoption, sessions like these function as a low-commitment way for a business to figure out whether, and how, AI fits into its own operations before making a larger investment.

How to get involved

Businesses interested in partnering with the centre, whether for a project along the lines of the General Motors collaboration or simply to attend an upcoming industry session, can contact Briand directly at lbriand@uOttawa.ca.

With AI adoption still in its early stages across the country, the centre's pitch to Ottawa businesses is straightforward: access to uOttawa's research and expertise, aimed squarely at solving the kind of problems companies are actually facing, not theoretical ones.

Sources: Ottawa Business Journal