Artificial intelligence (A.I.) brings fundamental change in our lives, affecting everything from business to government; working life to personal time. As increasingly sophisticated AI systems are created and used more widely, the effects on our health are unclear.
Effects on labour markets and employment are popular areas of public concern and debate, but the potential societal effects of A.I. extend more broadly. Questions have been raised about fundamental and complex topics such as algorithmic bias, transparency, governance, and inclusion.
This panel will examine diverse topics including ethics, policymaking and the health of our cities.
Our speakers will provide an overview of key A.I. concepts, their cross-cutting policy implications, and consider what health equity considerations we must undertake when thinking about the use of AI in the GTA.
Speakers:
Jennifer Gibson – Director, University of Toronto’s Joint Centre for Bioethics
Vass Bednar – Head of Public Policy, Delphia
Alison Paprica – Vice-President, Health Strategy and Partnerships, Vector Institute
Moderator:
Kwame McKenzie – CEO, Wellesley Institute
Doors will open at 6 p.m. Event will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Register now.
If cost is a barrier, you require information in an alternative format, or have concerns related to the accessibility of this event, please contact us at contact@wellesleyinstitute.com.
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Speaker Bios
Jennifer Gibson – Director, University of Toronto’s Joint Centre for Bioethics
Professor Gibson is Sun Life Financial Chair in Bioethics and Director of the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics (JCB). She is also Associate Professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation. Jennifer is particularly interested in the role and interaction of values in decision-making at different levels in the health system. Her current research focus is on ethical issues in health AI. She founded and leads the ‘Ethics and AI for Good Health’ program at the JCB.
Vass Bednar – Head of Public Policy, Delphia
Vass Bednar is the Head of Public Policy at Delphia, company that is working to empower citizens to invest their personal data. Prior to this role, she was a Policy Associate at Airbnb where she worked with legislative bodies and government agencies on fair rules for homesharing. She previously chaired the Expert Panel on Youth Employment for the federal government. Vass earned a Master’s degree in public policy from the University of Toronto’s School of Public Policy and Governance and served as Associate Director of the Rotman School of Management’s Martin Prosperity Institute. A proud millennial wonk, Bednar has also worked as a Senior Advisor at Queen’s Park and has successfully completed the Action Canada and Civic Action DiverseCity fellowships. Passionate about public dialogue, she was also the co-host of Detangled, a pop-culture and public-policy radio show.
Alison Paprica – Vice-President, Health Strategy and Partnerships, Vector Institute
As Vice President, Health Strategy and Partnerships, Alison Paprica is the Vector Institute’s corporate lead for health strategy, overseeing health research collaborations, health data partnerships and health AI application projects. Alison joined Vector with more than 20 years of management experience in the government and private and not-for-profit sectors. Immediately before joining Vector, she was Director, Strategic Partnerships at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). In that role, she laid the groundwork for ICES analytic services for the private sector, initiated ICES’ first public engagement work, and developed and expanded ICES’ partnerships with important provincial, national and international health data holding organizations.