Latest news with #DigitalInnovation
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Media advisory - Minister Solomon to participate in Toronto Tech Week 2025
TORONTO, June 22, 2025 /CNW/ - The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, will participate in a series of events, meetings and visits with Canada's AI ecosystem and business leaders for Toronto Tech Week 2025. Minister Solomon to participate in a site visit at Xanadu Date: Monday, June 23, 2025 Time: 11:00 am (ET) Note: Members of the media are asked to contact ISED Media Relations at media@ to receive event location details and confirm their attendance. Stay connected Find more services and information on the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada website. Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on social media.X (Twitter): @ISED_CA, Facebook: Canadian Innovation, Instagram: @cdninnovation, LinkedIn: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada View original content: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
AI Agents, Employee Experience And The Future Of HR Branding
Chakkry Arunachalam is the Head of HR Data Strategy, People Analytics and Digital Innovation at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. getty In most organizations, the term 'employee experience' is misunderstood, often reduced to perks, policies or engagement scores. But at its core, the employee experience is the sum of all touchpoints an employee has with their workplace—from their first click on the careers page to their last day on the job, and everything in between. Traditionally, HR has served as the front door to the employee experience. But let's be honest: The perception of HR isn't always great. It's often seen as a control function or the place to contact when there's an issue. For many employees, HR is synonymous with investigations, terminations, compliance training and policy enforcement, not interactions like onboarding or career development—which are increasingly handled by tech tools like self-service systems. So while good outcomes are automated, the difficult ones still wear the HR badge. How can HR's role as the organization's front door become something smarter, faster and more efficient? Imagine a world where HR-related questions like 'How do I apply for internal roles?,' 'What's my remaining PTO?' or 'What's the policy on parental leave?' are instantly answered by a highly intelligent, AI-powered agent. This isn't a static chatbot with scripted responses. It's a dynamic, automated assistant trained on your company's specific policies, tone and processes. Well, this world already exists. AI agents are redefining engagement with HR by serving as the always-available, consistent face of the function. They provide employees with immediate answers to everyday questions, guide them through tasks or direct them to the right person at the right time when human support is needed. As a result, they present a unique opportunity to rebrand HR as a department that's responsive, helpful and easy to engage with. For years, HR has battled a branding problem. Even the most progressive HR teams have been burdened by legacy perceptions of being gatekeepers, enforcers or bureaucrats. The rise of HR agents presents a unique opportunity to rebrand HR not as reactive or restrictive, but as responsive, helpful and easy to engage with. By meeting employees where they are—like Slack, Teams, mobile apps, intranets, etc.— and delivering fast, context-aware support, agents ensure HR shows up as a service and a partner in the employee experience. This shift matters not just for convenience, but for trust. When employees feel supported in the moments that matter, like navigating leave, returning to work or seeking internal opportunities, they're more likely to view HR teams as collaborators. And when those moments are seamless, the perception of the entire HR function shifts. In the world of AI, it doesn't matter whether your company had a strong data strategy yesterday. That was the last game. Today, the real differentiator is a renewed data strategy that powers your AI strategy and, just as importantly, your employee experience strategy via AI. AI has democratized access to powerful tools for organizations of any size. So, what ultimately separates industry leaders from laggards is how intelligently and empathetically they apply this technology. However, most general-purpose LLMs are trained on broad internet-grade data, which can introduce risks when applied to employee-facing interactions. While the quality of response may be high in form, it's average in substance and misaligned with your organization's tone, policies or context. That's why the experiential layer must be curated with intention. High-quality internal data, refined workflows and thoughtful design decisions are critical to ensuring that AI agents reflect your culture, not just generic best practices. Standing up an HR agent isn't just about plugging in technology. The real work lies in curating the content, designing the workflows and defining the tone. To succeed in these efforts, cross-functional collaboration becomes critical. HR, IT, communications, legal and operations must come together to build an intentional experience that works. This includes components like: • Personalized Interactions: Knowing who the employee is and where they are in their journey and tailoring the response accordingly • Integrated Workflows: Connecting to common HR systems to enable action, not just answers • Feedback Loops: Continuously learning from employee behavior to improve responses and evolve the experience When designed properly, an HR agent becomes more than a tool. It serves as a reflection of your company's culture and a scalable touchpoint for experience delivery. This moment is a turning point. As AI reshapes how work gets done, HR has a choice. We can be the department that resists or the one that reimagines. Instead of letting others define our image, we can shape it ourselves by building experiences that are frictionless, responsive and grounded in intent. AI-powered agents can be a strategic lever that goes beyond automation to create a new experience where our function is seen as an enabler of experience, outcomes and trust. The front door is open. It's time to redefine what walking through it feels like. Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
CTV News
13-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
40 artificial intelligence programs underway at Fraser Health, but executives are mum
In this still from a YouTube video, Sheazin Premji, bottom right, the executive director of Fraser Health's Centre for Advanced Analytics, Data Science and Innovation (CAADSI), speaks on a panel hosted by Simon Fraser University's Digital Innovation and Leadership program. Fraser Health is aggressively pursuing artificial intelligence programs with at least 40 initiatives underway, but the health authority refuses to make any officials available to discuss whether the investments represent good value for taxpayer money or are essentially pet projects following a trend. CTV News has obtained documents Fraser Health has presented to outside stakeholders outlining their plans to harness technology with the goal of improving efficiency and services in B.C.'s most populous health authority. Despite numerous requests over two months, communications staff claimed no one was available to discuss them at any time, even weeks in advance. The health authority has publicly announced the rollout of a handful of AI-powered strategies, including predicting patient discharge dates and a system to pre-determine staffing requirements. The latter is particularly eyebrow-raising as a priority, considering the staffing needs are already well-known and numerous health officials have acknowledged they simply do not have enough personnel for the volume of patients in our rapidly growing province. In a presentation on Fraser Health's 'Digital Twin' program at Digital Health Canada last year, senior officials outlined a system with theoretical scenarios and virtual patients that recreates the health authority digitally in order to 'test and understand the impact on bottlenecks and inform decision-making before deploy(ing) in (the) real world.' This initiative and its use to the public health-care system, if any, has not been discussed with patients or taxpayers. How deep is Fraser Health in the AI space? In another presentation at Digital Health Canada, Sheazin Premji, the executive director of Fraser Health's Centre for Advanced Analytics, Data Science and Innovation (CAADSI) included a slide stating the health authority has '40+ AI solutions across three streams, in varying stages of development and deployment.' Fraser Health AI Fraser Health has more than 40 AI programs, according to this slide from a presentation by one of its leading technology officers. The same slide says Fraser Health has in-house, co-created and licensed software. Another slide lays out a future envisioning medical drones, facial recognition technology, 3D bioprinting, robot companions and portable diagnostic devices. Hospital and ICU mortality, ethnicity prediction, pediatric respiratory triaging, chatbots and patient information summarizers are current AI projects in progress, according to the presentation, with various companies providing services in addition to the in-house systems. Are these programs worth millions of tax dollars? Several health authorities in the province are adopting AI technology, and family doctors are also embracing time-saving scribes to summarize appointments and cut down on time spent doing paperwork. Fraser Health insists it's in full compliance with Canada's privacy laws and points to its 'mandatory Privacy Impact Assessments, Security Threat and Risk Assessments, AI Risk Assessments for AI solutions, and our corporate policy on Responsible use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace.' However, neither its website nor a vague written statement sent to CTV News make any mention of how the programs are evaluated for success or value for precious tax dollars. 'Is that the place where it's needed most?' asked Kim McGrail, a professor at UBC's School of Population and Public Health and Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, and scientific director of Population Data BC and Health Data Research Network Canada. She said while there have been detailed studies and analysis of programs in other provinces, we need to see more in B.C. She was unsurprised to learn CTV News had been unsuccessful in discussing artificial intelligence initiatives with Fraser Health. 'I think what you're pointing out is sort of a general lack of transparency in our health system,' said McGrail. 'There's a lot of things we don't know or understand, either about decision-making or about inputs or about outcomes, and in health care, we could know more and we could report more publicly than we do now, so AI is perhaps another example of that.' In a discussion with Simon Fraser University's Digital Innovation and Leadership program posted to YouTube, Premji told the moderators that 'we do need to look at that value, of the AI, and I think we need to do a better job on showing the (return on investment).' This is the third part in a CTV Vancouver series taking a deep dive into the use of artificial intelligence in health care. You can read part one here: Eye contact and earlier diagnosis: How AI is transforming front-line health care in B.C. And part two here: B.C.'s privacy watchdog weighs in on health AI boom – as doctors warn it's not a substitute
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Code and Theory Named ANA B2B Agency of the Year After Transforming the World's Leading Brands
The Stagwell agency's 12 ANA B2 award wins highlight its transformative impact for clients Amazon Ads, ETS, Thomson Reuters and Qualcomm NEW YORK, June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Code and Theory has been named Business-to-Business (B2B) Agency of the Year at the prestigious Association of National Advertisers (ANA) B2 Awards, marking its sixth major agency honor in 2025 alone. This recognition reflects Code and Theory's unmatched ability to deliver technology-first, transformative solutions that meet the demands of today's rapidly evolving B2B landscape. At the ANA B2 Awards, Code and Theory earned 12 award wins across clients Qualcomm, ETS, Amazon Ads and Thomson Reuters. These wins highlight the agency's ability to blend technology, creativity and collaboration to drive measurable business impact. Notable results include: Rebranding Thomson Reuters as a B2B tech leader, boosting unaided awareness by 40%. Explore the work. Redefining Qualcomm's developer experience, achieving a 425% increase in engagement. Explore the work. Repositioning ETS as the global authority in workforce readiness, driving a 78% increase in qualified leads. Explore the work. Introducing Amazon Ads to small businesses that didn't sell on Amazon, increasing unaided brand awareness by 13%. Explore the work. This latest honor adds to a string of top-tier industry recognitions for Code and Theory, including: Fast Company: Named one of the World's Most Innovative Companies for both Design and Teamwork Ad Age: B2B Agency of the Year Campaign: Digital Innovation Agency of the Year Shorty Awards: Large Agency of the Year The Drum: Agency to Watch These accolades directly result from Code and Theory's transformational changes, evolving its client offerings to include: The launch of the Enterprise Experience Transformation Practice (EXT). Led by former Adobe exec Cory Haldeman, EXT architects unified brand foundations that turn artificial intelligence into relationship acceleration. The debut of Media Experience Practice, led by former Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Jessica Giles, dedicated to helping publishers survive and thrive. Naming James O'Brien as its first-ever global CMO, tasked with harnessing the consolidated power of the Code and Theory Network in service of its clients. Bill Zengel, ANA Senior Vice President, says: "The ANA B2 Awards have long been a benchmark for excellence, recognizing the most creative, effective and innovative work in business marketing. At the ANA, our mission is to fuel growth for brands and marketers. ANA B2 Agency of the Year winner Code and Theory embodies that spirit with bold storytelling and a technology-first mindset critical to the future of B2B marketing." Dan Gardner, co-founder of Code and Theory, says: "This is a defining moment for businesses and B2B marketing is where real change often begins. New technologies and rising expectations are reshaping the landscape faster than ever. Tech and creativity must now work together to meet the moment. We design, build and market to drive true business transformation. We're honored that work for our great clients was recognized by the ANA. We're just getting started as more and more CMOs, CIOs and CTOs recognize us as the place where they can come to experience change." Code and Theory will also have a significant presence at Cannes Lions 2025, joining the world's most ambitious marketers, athletes and creatives at Sport Beach. The event will offer hands-on workshops, on-stage thought leadership and the debut of some of the agency's latest technological advancements. Learn more here. About The Code and Theory NetworkThe Code and Theory Network is the only technology and creative network with a balance of 50% creative and 50% engineers. Our unique makeup makes us the place where CMOs, CTOs and CIOs come together to drive results for their businesses. We partner with our clients to redefine what is possible to create lasting impact and drive long-term growth. Part of Stagwell, Code and Theory offers a global footprint and the capabilities to work across the entirety of the customer-facing journey and implement the technology that powers it. The network includes the flagship agency Code and Theory as well as Kettle, Instrument, Left Field Labs, Truelogic, Create. Group, Rhythm and Mediacurrent. Code and Theory clients include Amazon, JPMorganChase, Microsoft, NBC, NFL and Yeti. For more, visit Media Contact Kenneth Hein View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Stagwell Inc.
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
James Moore: Canada is a getting a fresh start on artificial intelligence. Let's not waste it.
James Moore is a former federal cabinet minister under prime minister Stephen Harper, and a columnist for The recent federal election provided Canada with a much needed reset on the debate on artificial intelligence (AI), and we should all be thankful for it. There is a new member of Parliament who is the new minister for the file: Evan Solomon. Thoughtful and studious, the new Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation — the first we have had — provides an opportunity for a fresh start on the file. Evan Solomon, AI Evan Solomon fist bumps a guest as he heads to be sworn-in as Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby) Further, all the opposition critics of the AI file from the last parliament — Conservative MP Ryan Williams; Bloc Québécois MP René Villemure; and NDP MP Brian Masse — were all defeated on election day in their respective ridings. This dynamic of personal change, coupled with some good faith on policy development, should give a clear opportunity for the government to re-engage the AI issue with gusto. To start, I think it would be a mistake for the government to simply re-introduce the old Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA) (Bill C-27) from the previous parliament. A great deal was exposed about the imperfections, concerns of overreach, governance and questionable spending in the debates around AIDA after its introduction in April of 2023 that should signal the government to walk away from the previous AI policy efforts. There are six areas of AI policy challenges, and they are interconnected and complex. Public safety First, is the need to balance public safety and innovation. Complimenting and supporting a thriving AI ecosystem (and the increasingly mature hubs in Edmonton, Toronto, and Montreal) while protecting people and firms from the risks of unregulated AI systems is a difficult challenge. The risk of overregulating is real and could result in a flight of startups. But at the same time, there will be public collapse of the tolerance and integration of AI into our lives if the harms of surveillance, disinformation and bias are not addressed. Privacy The second issue that needs consideration is the need to address data privacy and consent. AI systems consumed massive datasets which raises concerns about the protection of data and the informed consent of the public for the use of that data — particularly when it comes to health, family, and biometric data. Consent loopholes and data scraping are constant challenges and need to be mitigated in the public interest. And, of course, these protections need to be as borderless as we can possibly secure. Accountability The third issue to be addressed must be the public sector use of AI data and systems. It is reported that agencies are increasingly using AI to try to drive efficiency, but there are credible concerns that they are doing so without adequate public facing accountability or transparency. This needs to be fixed. Any algorithmic decision making by the government needs to be disclosed and the principles of the Privacy Act need to be modernized and ported into any use of AI technology. Jobs Fourth, the impact of labour displacement could trigger a torrent of anxiety and disruption that is greater than we imagine. The impact on jobs and skills development will be substantial and we need to gauge — with the provinces and territories — how best to reskill and retrain workforces who may find their lives sideswiped by AI implementation. Public risk Fifth, the government must apply a national security lens to the AI opportunity/challenge. One of the dominant concerns about AI technology is the lack of accountability given the possible risks that may cause harm to individuals when wrong decisions are made autonomously. For example, there is no common description in law that agreed to or enforced with respect to using AI-based lethal robotic systems for selecting targets with possible lethal force. There is a clear need for defence and intelligence policies to be modernized and continually scrutinized in collaboration with our allies. Competition And sixth, as Canada marches forward with our AI policy that serves Canada and our needs, we need to consider where global standards are headed in the E.U. and U.S. and align our interests accordingly. We must be able to compete internationally, contribute to emerging global norms on AI ethics, governance and safety and avoid regulatory fragmentation that leaves us at a disadvantage with our competitors. In sum, AI presents a complex, fast-evolving set of policy challenges that touch nearly every aspect of society. Policymakers must be agile, principled, and ambitious in the coming Parliament. AI is reshaping economies, transforming workplaces, and redefining our economic boundaries. The opportunities are incredible and the policy challenges associated with the opportunities demand the best efforts our leaders to get it right.
