The city's academic strength, particularly the University of Toronto where Hinton and other academics have been studying AI for decades, is also a significant factor in its growing prominence in the AI field. As commercial opportunities in AI rapidly expand, Toronto is capitalizing on its established AI expertise and infrastructure to compete with Silicon Valley as a global AI startup hub.
Key takeaways:
- Toronto is emerging as a potential hub for artificial intelligence (AI), capitalizing on Canada's long-term investment in AI development and technology.
- Geoffrey Hinton, a prominent AI researcher who recently left Google Brain, has been instrumental in building up AI capacity in Toronto for 35 years.
- Hinton's work is based far from the tech sector's geographic epicenter in Silicon Valley, highlighting the potential for AI development outside traditional tech hubs.
- The commercial opportunities for AI are rapidly expanding in Toronto, indicating a potential shift in the global AI landscape.