Mitacs Spotlights Canada’s AI Edge at ALL IN AI Conference

Montreal, QC – Mitacs placed the spotlight on Canada’s AI edge during a lively panel discussion on September 24 at the ALL IN AI conference in Montreal, the country’s largest AI event drawing in over 6,500 participants from over 40 countries. 

As a key player in Canada’s innovation and AI sector, Mitacs hosted The Talent Advantage: Accelerating Canada’s AI Competitiveness, exploring how Canada can accelerate its AI agenda by better connecting research, talent, and capital to unlock real-world AI deployment, support firms to scale, and drive home-grown innovation.  

Moderated by Dr. Stephen Lucas, CEO for Mitacs, panelists included Dr. Yves Jacquier, Executive Director for Ubisoft La Forge, Samuel Lévesque, Director of Data Science for Intact Inc., and Dr. Perouz Taslakian, AI Research Lead for ServiceNow. Throughout the discussion, panelists highlighted how Canada can strengthen its AI edge by connecting research, talent, and capital, alongside industry experts shaping this space. Canada’s global recognition for AI talent and public–private research partnerships make this a timely conversation—and one where Mitacs has been proud to play a role for more than 25 years. 

Canada is home to world-class AI research and talent: a powerful foundation for long-term prosperity. But global competitors are moving quickly to translate AI innovation into market impact. To secure its leadership, Canada must activate its strongest asset: people.

Watch the full panel video below.

Quotes

“Mitacs is committed to supporting commercialization and adoption of AI technologies across a diverse range of sectors. Through our programs and partnerships, we can attract and retain top talent, provide real-world industry experience, and help drive Canadian innovation, productivity, and global competitiveness.

Dr. Stephen Lucas, CEO, Mitacs

“Ubisoft LaForge is at the forefront of the most advanced examples we have in Canada of applied academic research embedded into real-world production, empowered by our ongoing collaboration with Mitacs since 2012. One of the biggest challenges in translating machine learning research into the gaming industry lies in bridging the gap between cutting-edge technical innovation and real-world application. Interdisciplinary talent plays a crucial role in this process”

Dr. Yves Jacquier, Executive Director for Ubisoft La Forge 

“I’ve experienced Canada’s AI talent pipeline firsthand — starting as a graduate student, moving through a Mitacs-funded internship, and now leading a data science team at Intact. What makes those transitions work is a strong foundation in applied training, combined with opportunities to acquire domain knowledge through impactful projects with skilled mentors. But if we want to not only develop AI talent but also retain and grow it, industry needs to invest more in career development and work environments that facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations and innovation.”

Samuel Lévesque, Manager, Data Science at Intact

“In mentoring interns and emerging researchers with Mitacs’ support, hands-on experience is critical — but it’s only the first step. For Canada to grow long-term AI leadership, we need to better connect early research opportunities with sustained career pathways, and ensure that talent isn’t just trained here, but empowered to stay, lead, and make impact at scale.”

Dr. Perouz Taslakian, AI Research Lead for ServiceNow

About Mitacs

Mitacs places top-tier talent in Canadian firms, to support industry-academia collaboration. This helps unlock innovation potential, de-risk R&D for firms, and build lasting academic-industry relationships. Our national reach, international connections, and ability to broker cross-sectoral partnerships allow us to deliver results at scale, helping Canadian businesses compete globally while developing the next generation of a skilled and innovative workforce.

Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.