Toronto, ON – On November 2, 2023, WatSPEED joined engineering experts and innovators for the 2023 Engineering Conference, hosted by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE).
This year’s event, hosted at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, brought together the brightest minds in the field of engineering to discuss the latest advancements and future trends. It also featured a keynote address delivered by University of Waterloo AI expert and co-director of the Vision and Image Processing Lab, Alexander Wong, moderated by Sanjeev Gill, associate vice-president, innovation and executive director of WatSPEED.
The keynote session explored essential topics that are shaping the future of engineering, including the fundamentals of AI, its practical applications, and ethical considerations surrounding its uses. Wong and Gill also provided valuable insight regarding the integration of AI with other emerging technologies and the technical challenges in AI development.
“AI is not going to go away,” said Wong, who is also the Canada research chair in AI and medical imaging, and chief scientist and co-founder of DarwinAI. “It’s a tool for us and we need to understand how to take advantage of it.”
Throughout the discussion, Wong explained the importance of understanding the inner workings of AI systems, addressing ethical concerns such as bias, privacy, transparency around algorithms, and the role of engineers in ensuring the development and deployment of responsible and trustworthy AI systems.
Engineers, he stressed, should be open to the evaluation and testing of AI systems because it will be essential for their development and responsible use in the future, especially as AI revolutionizes various aspects of the industry.
Wong’s contributions were not limited to his keynote presentation. He was celebrated by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers at their 2023 Awards Gala, where he received the Engineering Medal – Entrepreneurship. Alongside Wong was another University of Waterloo award-winner, engineering professor, John McPhee, who was awarded the Gold Medal for his outstanding contributions to the field of engineering.
AI has the potential to revolutionize manufacturing processes, supply chain management, and quality control in unprecedented ways and OSPE’s 2023 Engineering Conference was a platform for engineers to explore the transformative potential of AI and its role in reshaping the future of the field.