AI as a Growth Lever: From Research to Economic Powerhouse

In the face of fierce global competition, Canada had to translate its leadership in artificial intelligence into tangible commercial success. During this exclusive Canadian Club discussion, Valérie Pisano (Mila) and Joelle Pineau (Cohere) explored how Canada could transform its scientific excellence into a sovereign economic powerhouse.

The conversation highlighted the critical importance of technological independence and the vital role of global partnerships in securing Canada’s competitive edge. Attendees discovered how the AI ecosystem could become a sustainable productivity engine for their organizations. This discussion provided key insights into building the next pillar of our national prosperity.

The panel was moderated by Bruno Guglielminetti, host and producer of the digital news podcast, Mon Carnet.

 

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Mot de bienvenue

Collaboration Mila–Cohere : IA locale

Identité montréalaise et le virage vers le produit

De la recherche académique à l'entrepreneuriat

Cohere sur l'échiquier mondial

Stratégie nationale & agilité face à l'incertitude

Talents et défis de la propriété intellectuelle

Vers une souveraineté numérique

Mot de la fin

 

Event sponsor

 

Biographies

Joëlle Pineau

Joëlle Pineau is Chief AI Officer at Cohere. She plays a key role in the company's product strategy and oversees Cohere Labs, Cohere's research lab. She is also a professor at McGill University and a core academic member of Mila. Prior to Cohere, she was VP AI research at Meta, leading its Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) team. Based in Montreal, she holds a BASc in Engineering from the University of Waterloo, and an MSc and PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University.

Valérie Pisano

Valérie Pisano is the President and CEO of Mila. A prominent leader in Canada’s artificial intelligence landscape, she is recognized for her strategic vision and transformational leadership. With over 20 years of experience in growth management, she notably served as Chief Talent Officer at Cirque du Soleil and co-founded the Mobïus project on bias to accelerate the dialogue on female leadership in the corporate world.
Since 2018, she has led Mila, the world’s largest academic research center in deep learning, founded by Professor Yoshua Bengio, the world's most cited researcher and recipient of the AM Turing Award. Under her leadership, the Institute has experienced exponential growth, establishing itself as a pillar of the Canadian AI ecosystem with a reach that extends far beyond national borders. Today, Mila boasts a community of over 1,500 researchers and 150 industrial partners, and stands as a global benchmark for AI governance, notably through key collaborations with the OECD and the United Nations.
As a former consultant with McKinsey Canada, she focuses on how humans can adapt to and benefit from this technological revolution. She holds a degree in Finance and Economics from HEC Montréal and currently serves on the boards of directors of LawZero, Chartwell, and Énergir.