The world’s top AI talent convene in Edmonton for the DLRL Summer School

EDMONTON, AB (July 24, 2019) – Classes are now in session at the CIFAR Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning Summer School (DLRL Summer School). The Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) and CIFAR are excited to welcome the brightest minds in artificial intelligence (AI) to learn at the University of Albertain Edmonton from July 24 to August 2, 2019.The event brings together graduate students, post-docs and professionals to cover the foundational research, new developments and real-world applications of deep learning and reinforcement learning – two key areas of AI research.

“We are thrilled to kick off the 15th annual DLRL Summer School in partnership with Amii, Mila and the Vector Institute,” says Dr. Elissa Strome, AVP Research & Executive Director of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy. “Every year, the DLRL Summer School attracts hundreds of the brightest students from around the world to learn from prominent leaders in AI. This supports the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy’s goals of increasing the number of AI researchers and skilled graduates in Canada.”

Over 1200 individuals from 75 countries applied to this year’s DLRL Summer School. Of this number, only 300 individuals were accepted, representing 36 countries; approximately 57% of attendees are Canadian, and 28 students are attending from developing countries.

“We are proud to be showcasing Alberta’s innovation community, including our accomplished researchers, brilliant students, and world-class AI-enabled startups and businesses,” says John Shillington, President and CEO of Amii. “Over the next ten days, we will show the global AI community how innovative and full of potential this province is.”

This year’s DLRL Summer School also features a crossover event with the Summer Institute on AI and Society on July 24. Co-convened by CIFAR, the AI PULSE program at UCLA School of Law, and Amii, Summer Institute brings together experts, grad students and researchers to explore the societal, governmental, and ethical implications of AI. Participants of multiple backgrounds are represented, including political science, humanities, computing science and social sciences.

The Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning Summer School is hosted by Amii and CIFAR, with participation and support from Canada’s other AI hubs: Toronto’s Vector Institute and Mila in Montreal. Visit www.dlrlsummerschool.ca for more information.

 

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Primary Media Contact: Spencer Murray, Director of Communications & Public Relations, Amii

t: 587.415.6100 | c: 780.991.7136 | e: spencer.murray@amii.ca

Secondary Media Contact: Krista Davidson, AI Communications Lead, CIFAR

c: 647.383.7218 | e: krista.davidson@cifar.ca

About the DLRL Summer School

• This year, the CIFAR Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning (DLRL) Summer School takes place from July 24 – August 2, 2019 in Edmonton, Alberta. The DLRL Summer School is hosted by CIFAR and Amii, with participation and support from Mila (Montréal) and the Vector Institute (Toronto).
• The event brings together graduate students, post-docs and professionals to cover the foundational research, new developments and real-world applications of deep learning and reinforcement learning.
• Students have the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s leading AI researchers. Every year the program features some of the most prominent leaders in the fields of deep learning and reinforcement learning including Jimmy Ba (Vector Institute, University of Toronto), Yoshua Bengio (Mila, University de Montréal), Hugo Larochelle (Vector Institute, Google Brain), Doina Precup (Mila, McGill University) and Richard Sutton (Amii, University of Alberta).
• Each year, the DLRL Summer School attracts thousands of graduate students, postdocs and industry professionals from more than 20 countries to explore the latest artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, build research networks and start collaborative discussions. Only 300 of the most promising early career researchers across the globe are accepted.
• The DLRL Summer School Career Fair attracts dozens of tech companies every year who are looking to recruit top tier AI talent. Many former students now lead top tech firms and university labs.

History of the DLRL Summer School

• In 2005, CIFAR’s Learning in Machines & Brains program hosted its first Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning Summer School in Toronto with the goal of fostering the next generation of AI researchers. Many of the former students are now leaders at some of the top tech firms and university labs.
• Today, the DLRL Summer School is a part of both the CIFAR Learning in Machines & Brains program and CIFAR Pan-Canadian AI Strategy’s National Program of Activities, where it plays a significant role in supporting Canada’s early leadership in machine learning.

Stats for this year’s DLRL Summer School

• A total of 1,256 applications from 75 countries were received for the 2019 CIFAR DLRL Summer School, hosted by Amii.
• 300 students from 36 countries were accepted into the program.
• 113 women from around the world will be developing new skills in deep learning and reinforcement learning.
• 28 students are coming from developing countries.
• The DLRL Summer School is building the talent pool globally – 171 participants are from Canada and 128 are from countries outside of Canada.

About Amii

One of three centres of excellence in Canada’s national AI Strategy, the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) performs advanced research in the fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence and guides businesses as they grow their AI capabilities. Amii supports world-leading research and training at the University of Alberta and acts as a catalyst for transformative growth for Alberta and Alberta-based businesses through machine intelligence. Learn more at amii.ca.

About CIFAR

CIFAR is a Canadian-based, global charitable organization that convenes extraordinary minds to address science and humanity’s most important questions.

By supporting long-term interdisciplinary collaboration, CIFAR provides researchers with an unparalleled environment of trust, transparency and knowledge sharing. Our time-tested model inspires new directions of inquiry, accelerates discovery and yields breakthroughs across borders and academic disciplines. Through knowledge mobilization, we are catalysts for change in industry, government and society. CIFAR’s community of fellows includes 19 Nobel laureates and more than 400 researchers from 22 countries. In 2017, the Government of Canada appointed CIFAR to develop and lead the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the world’s first national AI strategy.

Learn more at cifar.ca.

High-Res Photos

Click here to access high-res photos of the 2018 DLRL Summer School