Diana Olynick, PEng, PMP

October 15, 2025 was an incredible day for Canada’s AI + XR community! 🇨🇦 A huge thank-you to the organizers noted below who brought together some of the nation’s top innovators and visionaries in XR and AI. I was honoured to join as a guest panelist to discuss how we can scale responsible, human-centred AI-XR innovation — from pilot projects to national and global impact. Here are my TOP TAKEAWAYS from the day: 1️⃣ Build your AI-XR network wisely. Include advisors who understand regulations, data safety, and ethical design—these are the foundations of sustainable innovation. 2️⃣ From pilot to scale is the valley of death. Most teams crash here. Bring in experienced advisors who’ve crossed that bridge before. 3️⃣ CEOs: due diligence is your superpower. Consultants and part-time freelancers can be assets only if contracts and accountability are airtight. ❤️ My motto: There’s no “I” in TEAM. Drop the “E” in EGO and GO 🇨🇦!! Let’s keep building Canada’s creative, ethical, and inclusive AI-XR ecosystem together. Norman V., Alex Tveit, Ricardo Antonio Rambal Fattori 💝🙏🔜🚀🚀🚀 #AI #XR #Innovation #Leadership #EthicalAI #CanadaTech #CreativeTech #FutureOfWork

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AI Minister Evan Solomon & Canadian Identity Minster Marc Miller announce new AI Cultural Advisory Council at the National Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Culture at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity Who should be on it?

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The Government of Canada has published the world's first national standard for accessible and equitable AI, and it reframes where accessibility work actually begins. AI is increasingly shaping how Canadians access services, apply for jobs, and interact with everyday digital systems. As these systems move from supportive tools to decision-making infrastructure, accessibility shifts from interface design into system design.   Canada's new National Standard on Accessible and Equitable Artificial Intelligence Systems (CAN-ASC-6.2), developed by Accessibility Standards Canada, establishes a national benchmark for building AI that is accessible, fair, and inclusive from the start. Developed with leadership from people with disabilities and equity-deserving communities, it reflects a maturing expectation that accessibility is not applied after systems are built, but embedded as part of how they are conceived, trained, and evaluated.   This signals a clear progression in practice: As AI becomes more embedded in service delivery and opportunity pathways, the impact of those design decisions compounds quickly across users and contexts.   For accessibility-minded professionals, this places accessibility closer to upstream technical and ethical decision-making, where exclusion or inclusion is effectively determined before a user ever encounters a system.   Learn more by accessing this PR Newswire piece: https://shorturl.at/l0dIV   #AccessibleAI #EthicalAI #a11y #DigitalAccessibility

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Cohere is Canada’s AI poster child. But beyond the hype lies a reliance on US infrastructure, ties to Palantir, and a copyright infringement lawsuit. Journalist Julie Sobowale asks: Is this really the company Canada should trust to safeguard its data? https://lnkd.in/gP7ynN8p

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As other countries move quickly to address digital asset regulation, Canada has an opportunity to catch up and lead with a thoughtful, coordinated approach. In our submission to the federal government’s 2025 pre-budget consultations, the Canadian Web3 Council outlines four policy recommendations to strengthen Canada’s competitiveness, enhance investor protections, and modernize our digital economy: • Establish a regulatory framework for CAD-backed stablecoins with a graduated licensing pathway for fintechs • Allow specified crypto assets as qualified investments in RRSPs and TFSAs • Expand the consumer-driven banking framework to include digital assets • Launch a national digital asset regulatory strategy supported by federal-provincial collaboration These proposals support responsible innovation and aim to give Canadians access to a safer, more inclusive digital financial system. 🔗 Read our full pre-budget submission: https://lnkd.in/etKfvDMp

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In this clip from our new podcast episode, Jason Shim, Chief Digital Officer of the Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience | Centre canadien pour la résilience numérique, highlights the growing awareness of AI across the sector and underscores why organizations must be mindful of data security when exploring new tools. Hear more from Jason Shim and other subject matter experts - listen to the full episode! 🎙️ https://okt.to/s8I72r #CVConnects #podcast #CVPodcast #nonprofitpodcast #nonprofit #charity #nonprofitcanada #charitycanada #nonprofitsector #sme #podcastlife #spotify #amazon #podcaster #podcasting #interview #podcasts #podcasthost #philanthropy #charities #network #association #foundation #Canada #leadership #AI #ArtificialIntelligence

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✨ Projects shining across the country! $98.6M invested. 23 AI initiatives supported in SCALE AI | Canada's AI Global Innovation Cluster’s latest funding round. And among them? Several of our clients boldly shaping their technological future: ADF Group inc., Avantis Coopérative, Avianor Inc, Le Groupe NordFab, Humaco, RPM eco, Integrated management system for recyclables, OSCAL.AI Inc. | Collection Optimizer, Pratt & Whitney Canada. 👏 Last week, Minister Evan Solomon spotlighted Canadian talent: brilliant researchers, bold entrepreneurs, and ideas that turn into real-world impact. And this momentum is just getting started! Want to be part of the movement? The talent and resources are here. 🇨🇦🚀 👉 Explore our projects: https://lnkd.in/eHtemjbE

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Rethinking Government Website UX: A User-First Approach We partnered with Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada to elevate their digital experience through user-focused design. From refining navigation to aligning content with top user tasks, our work helped shape a more intuitive, accessible platform for all Canadians. https://lnkd.in/gDb_xa9t #UserExperienceDesign #GovernmentUX #DigitalAccessibility #WebStrategy #KIMBOdesign

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🏗️ Transformation of the Week: Lalit Row - From Prompt Tuner to Knowledge Navigator. Lalit Row didn’t just build a wrapper; he turned bureaucracy into utility. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦: The Ontario High School Curriculum is a maze of static PDFs and confusing standards. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Navi. An agentic system that transforms rigid documents into a dynamic, personalized roadmap for students. 🚀 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐩: 𝐋𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦. Old Way: Tweaking prompts and hoping for the best. New Way: Grounding AI in specific logic using Knowledge Graphs and Agents. ⚙️ Under the Hood: Brain: LangChain + LangGraph + OpenAI + Qdrant Logic: Agent evaluation with Ragas Build: High-performance Python with uv + FastAPI + React Repo: https://lnkd.in/gPsz9DFu 💡 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭: Lalit recognized that an LLM alone isn't enough - you need to ground the AI in the specific logic of educational standards. He turned a potential barrier for learners into an interactive mentor. 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬? 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 ✅ AI Engineer Onramp: Master the essentials and deploy 3 apps in 4 weeks. 🔗https://lnkd.in/gW7F-N5X ✅ AI Engineer Bootcamp: Go deep on RAG, evaluation, and agentic patterns. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g96iKq4f #ai #education Education | Éducation #llm #engineer #transformation #qdrant #knowledge

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The future of AI isn’t just about algorithms - it’s about values, voices, and cultural continuity. At the University of Toronto’s Streams of Excellence event on Ethical AI, panelists explored how Indigenous knowledge systems and human oversight can shape AI to be more than just a tool, to become a guardian of stories, culture, and truth. Brian Ritchie shared how Knowledge Graphs can preserve truth and specificity, protecting against the “averaging” tendencies of LLMs. Rob Gillezeau commented on the doom narratives on jobs, emphasizing that when robots do the work, human craftsmanship will be valued more than ever. The real challenge lies not in AI itself, but in managing the transition with leadership and foresight. Key themes that emerged:  - Cultural Sovereignty – AI guided by community values, not corporate defaults  - Intergenerational Knowledge – Ensuring stories and language endure for future generations  - Human-in-the-Loop Systems – Ethics built in through community-led training and oversight  - Workforce Shifts – A future where technology amplifies, not replaces, human value This conversation underscored a simple truth: Ethical AI begins with listening to people, to Elders, and to the communities whose knowledge we aim to reflect.

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🌐”The sovereign AI blueprint,” Canada’s AI moment, set the tone for opening night at Web Summit Vancouver with an excellent panel on Sovereign AI and its implications for Canada. Panel speakers included the Honorable Evan Solomon, Canada’s first Minister of AI and Digital Innovation, alongside Joelle Pineau, Chief AI Officer at Cohere. Minister Solomon discussed the growing importance of sovereign AI, trusted infrastructure, homegrown innovation, and the responsible deployment of AI systems that businesses, governments, and communities can rely on at scale. The discussion highlighted the importance of controlling AI infrastructure, models, and data for governments to ensure alignment with national context, culture, and languages. Responsibly governing AI is critical for shaping economies, innovation ecosystems, and the future of technological development worldwide. At FYELABS, we recognize the transformative potential of AI as it continues to accelerate innovation. We’re excited to see how this AI initiative in Canada will help strengthen the innovation ecosystem and support the growth of homegrown Canadian technology solutions. ➡️ Visit us at ‘Booth E144’ to learn more about us and how we are building responsibly using AI. Our Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer, Ghada Badawy (Ph.D), and VP of Business Development, Paramita Chaudhuri Basu, PhD, MBA, are here at Web Summit Vancouver and happy to connect. #WebSummitVancouver #AI #SovereignAI #CanadianTech #DigitalInfrastructure #InnovationEcosystem #HealthTech #ProductDevelopment

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"Responsible AI is about building technology with the people, not simply for them." At the inaugural Ottawa Responsible AI Summit 2025, Somto Mbelu, PMP®, Founder and Program Lead of the Ottawa Responsible AI Hub, delivered a powerful call to action: AI must reflect the voices of those it most impacts. From seniors adapting to new tools to communities on the margins navigating automation, true innovation happens when we prioritize inclusion at every stage, not as an afterthought. As we step into the coming year, these initiatives reflect how we plan to deepen engagement, broaden access, and build AI with community at the centre: 🔹 AI for seniors: an intergenerational program supporting seniors and marginalized groups to learn, design, and experiment with technology alongside youth 🔹 Responsible AI Talk Series bringing community voices into conversation with policymakers 🔹 Hackathons and accountability toolkits to promote transparency, fairness, and real-world responsible AI outcomes We are laying foundations that enable diverse voices to shape AI governance and design, because responsible AI must be built together. What does community-centered AI mean to you? Share your thoughts below. Link to summit press release: https://lnkd.in/dBCudXPA #ResponsibleAI #ORAiSummit2025 #AIEthics #OttawaAI #AIforEquity #CommunityInnovation Microsoft Invest Ottawa Mann Lawyers LLP Ottawa Civic Tech Sparktech AI Buddy Catalyst Labs Inc. Feel The Frame Purple Goat

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Congratulations to Accessibility Standards Canada and its Technical Committee, chaired by OCAD U Professor Dr. Jutta Treviranus, in developing and releasing the world’s first standard on accessible and equitable AI. This new standard is a significant achievement in helping to ensure that AI systems are accessible, inclusive and fair from the start – and demonstrates Canada’s global leadership in AI. Read our story: https://bit.ly/4pVSq9a Find out more about the new standard: https://bit.ly/3MuPAJD #AI #inclusivedesign #accessibility #equitableAI #AIgovernance

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Three years ago, we set out to prove something: Indigenous innovation can solve Canada's most expensive problems. Today, Maawandoon AI launches to the world. GEMINIA and IndigiMatch aren't just software. They're proof that when you combine deep Indigenous knowledge with cutting-edge AI, you unlock solutions that governments and private sector have been searching for. $14B in delayed infrastructure projects. Billions in untapped Indigenous procurement opportunities. Environmental assessments taking months when they should take days. These aren't hypothetical problems—they're costing Canada billions annually. Our platforms solve them. Without public funding. Without foreign vendor lock-in. Without compromising Indigenous data sovereignty or community trust. Why Indigenous-led matters: We built this for our communities first. OCAP principles embedded. Data control guaranteed. Economic self-determination through technology ownership. That's not just better business—it's reconciliation in action. The federal government is ready. Private sector is ready. Indigenous communities are ready. We're launching https://maawandoon.ai today. If you're leading infrastructure, defence procurement, environmental assessment, or Indigenous partnerships—let's talk about what's possible. This is what happens when you trust Indigenous innovation. 📞 343-804-5500 📧 hello@maawandoon.ai #IndigenousInnovation #IndigenousBusiness #DefenceCanada #FederalProcurement #EnvironmentalAI #TechSovereignty #Reconciliation #CdnDef #NationalDefence #DefenceInnovation #NationalSecurity #DualUseTech #DefenceSMEs #CdnInnovation #FutureForce #ImpactAssessment #IAAC #EnvironmentalAssessment #CdnReg #IndigenousConsultation #DutyToConsult #RegulatoryExcellence #CdnEnergy #CdnOilAndGas #NaturalResources #CdnMinerals #EnergyTransition #CriticalMinerals #SustainableResourceDevelopment #CanadaAction #cdnpoli #polcan #onpoli #abpoli #bcpoli #skpoli #DoD #DefenseTech #DefenseInnovation #GovCon #GenerativeAI #EthicalAI #ResponsibleAI #SaaS #EmergingTech

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Another common misconception with AI is assuming it is always right. It is not. In this clip, Andrea Ortega, PhD, CNP explains why blindly trusting AI especially for grants and reporting can create serious risks. AI can generate confident language that sounds impressive but does not reflect what an organization can actually deliver. AI should support your work, not invent it. Human review and accountability still matter. Watch the full Privion AI Spotlight on YouTube. Palante Nonprofits, LLC #ResponsibleAI #AIinNonprofits #GrantWriting #PrivionAI

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Issue #07 of Portfolio.YVR - Web Summit Special Edition is LIVE!⁠ ⁠ In this issue, we spotlight Kassandra Linklater, who shares how a team of visionaries brought Web Summit to Vancouver, Mary Carmichael of Momentum Technology, who transforms technology risk into business-aligned strategy, Ali Alame of Cybersystem, who safeguards critical systems worldwide, Irina Manolescu of MIV Advisory, who advances IT governance, and Margaret Dibor of Etutekilab, who leads in enterprise security and data privacy. ⁠ ⁠ We also feature Laith Sarhan of Sarhan Data Law on AI governance, Amarjeet Kaur of Yali-Cybershield on cybersecurity and digital transformation, Neel Singh, Brady Dahmer, Mark Funston, and Ruby Sandhu on reimagining brand strategy with Tropoly, and Lyndsay Malchuk, who amplifies global innovators.⁠ ⁠ "A huge thank you to Special Guest Editor Ritchie Po, whose vision and dedication were invaluable475828856 in bringing this issue together." ~ Helen Siwak, EIC & Publisher⁠ ⁠ Read the journeys of these amazing founders in our new issue!⁠ https://lnkd.in/ghbZfh3G

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We’re building tools that help public servants work smarter. One of those tools is CANChat, a generative AI chatbot. CANChat uses several large language models (LLMs), including one trained on Government of Canada Web Archive data from Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada Why does it matter that the model is Canadian-trained? Because context counts. From understanding our geography and institutions to reflecting our values and priorities, Canadian LLMs ensure that AI works for Canadians. That’s why we’re investing in sovereign AI: AI that’s built, trained and deployed in Canada, using Canadian data and expertise and hosted on Canadian soil. Sovereign AI isn’t just about technology—it’s about Canadian values and control over our data. And we’re proud to be part of that journey. Visit our page to learn more: https://ow.ly/Ekfj50WIau0

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