/cdsi/ en /cdsi/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/cdsi/article/frontiers-research-software-engineering%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E It was an afternoon of brain scans, cybersecurity, pizza and networking last week at CDSI’s Research Software Development Networking Symposium. Dozens of people from in and around the ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï community came to the symposium to network and take in half a dozen talks on a range of topics. Presenting the main talk was Dr. Tristan Glatard of Concordia University. He shared the ways that research software is being used to improve neuroimaging, with new technologies that can be applied to everything from MRI scans to the categorization of Parkinsonian syndromes. “I think AI challenges are one of the Mon, 05 May 2025 15:17:09 -0400 1263 /cdsi/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/cdsi/article/honing-precision-medicine%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E Quebec has long been Canada’s hub for precision medicine — a kind of medicine that takes into account highly individual factors like genetics, environment and lifestyle to optimize care. This sector represents as-yet untapped potential for the artificial intelligence industry, and for researchers, this means an opportunity to lay the groundwork. One of these researchers was GöktuÄŸ Bender, a ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï Psychology student and former BMO Jr. Responsible AI Scholar. Even before university, his interest lay in AI ethics. His minor in Behavioural Science and Social Studies of Medicine contributed to his Thu, 13 Mar 2025 16:23:49 -0400 1255 /cdsi/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/cdsi/article/having-tough-conversations-about-ai-ethics%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E While thousands of academics, business leaders, and heads of state were preparing to flock to the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris earlier this month, one ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï academic was helping to shed light on some neglected aspects of the AI ethics debate. Dr. Renee Sieber, a professor in ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï’s Bieler School of Environment and the Department of Geography, has long been interested in AI Ethics: Her work focuses on designing AI systems in a way that’s less top-down and more democratic. “You cannot avoid having values baked into AI systems, in large part because most, but not all, AI Thu, 27 Feb 2025 16:21:51 -0500 1214 /cdsi/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/cdsi/article/designing-ethical-artificial-intelligence-all%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E How do we design ethical AI systems? Considering the pervasive nature of AI systems, how do we make sure the experiences of people from a variety of backgrounds are accounted for in their design processes? Jocelyn Wong, a former ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï Honours Cognitive Science student, wanted to explore these questions. She wanted to know how the processes of designing AI systems can be audited in a way that takes into account the lived experiences of people from all walks of life. In a relatively new field such as AI ethics, “A lot of the proposals that came out about auditing were about the process and what Mon, 10 Feb 2025 16:31:20 -0500 1213 /cdsi/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/cdsi/article/how-ai-can-improve-mental-healthcare%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E David Benrimoh wanted to improve mental health outcomes for those suffering from, or at risk from suffering from, psychosis. But he needed support to bring his research project to life. That’s where CDSI came in: For three straight years, CDSI’s Convergent Research Themes (CRT) program has been supporting researchers whose interests don’t fit neatly into a box. Since its inception in 2022, the program has offered more than $136,000 to a dozen projects that cross disciplinary boundaries. In the program’s first year, the areas of focus included extreme weather events in smart cities, improving Mon, 27 Jan 2025 16:18:58 -0500 Ian Down 1200