The session examines the recent evolution of artificial intelligence and its profound implications for our lives. Through analysis of key benchmarks and milestones—from AlphaGo's victory over Lee Sedol to recent breakthroughs in mathematics, science, and creative domains—the talk explores how AI is increasingly matching or exceeding human-level performance across diverse cognitive tasks. The presentation addresses the emergence of "commoditized intelligence"—a future where advanced AI capabilities are widely accessible—and poses a central question that invites reflection on both the opportunities and challenges ahead: "What would you do with an army of genius assistants?"

As AI systems demonstrate unprecedented capabilities in discovering new antibiotics, solving advanced mathematical problems, and generating creative works indistinguishable from human output, we examine what this paradigm shift means for individual and collective human adaptation in a world where genius-level cognitive assistance becomes universally available.

Mark's keynote presentation will be followed by a dialogue with Dr. Neil Fassina (President, Okanagan College and Chair of the BC AI Working Group) and Ben Ferrel (Executive Director, Digital Policy and Business Solutions, Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills).

Mark Daley

Mark Daley

Chief AI Officer, Western University,

Mark is the Chief AI Officer at Western University and a Professor in the Department of Computer Science with cross-appointments in five other departments, The Rotman Institute of Philosophy, and The Western Institute for Neuroscience. He is also a faculty affiliate of Toronto's Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

Mark was named in the Maclean's magazine "Power List 2024" of the top 100 Canadians shaping the country.

Mark has previously served as the Vice-President (Research) at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), and Chief Digital Information Officer, Special Advisor to the President, and Associate Vice-President (Research) at Western University. 

Mark is the past chair of Compute Ontario and serves on a number of other boards.

Technology Track