Province showcases AI approach at symposium

The provincial government convened 100 in-person participants and 600 virtual viewers on July 28 for the Velocity Symposium, a showcase of the Velocity White Papers. Released in July, the province calls the documents a roadmap for other governments to emulate its use of artificial intelligence.

The event included representatives from AltaML, Cisco, Google, Microsoft, Info-Tech, Kainos, and other private-sector partners. AltaML co-founder Cory Janssen demonstrated how AI can be used to create a "digital twin" of a ministry by onboarding memory or institutional knowledge with the inclusion of human subject-matter experts. "We're basically taking how we work and turning it into code." He said using the memory approach resulted in 97% accuracy, compared to lower rates when pasting documents into an AI tool. Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish told an anecdote of an employee who took courses at the government's AI Academy. Glubish said the employee learned how to build an enterprise-grade application that completed in two minutes what he estimated would take him up to 15 months of full-time work. "That's the transformative power of AI," Glubish said. "That's why we want to be the most AI-native government in North America."

Edmonton's municipal government has also been sharing its insights into how it uses AI in public services. The City of Edmonton shared almost 40 projects with Apolitical's Government AI Navigator, including tools to predict potholes, forecast wildfire risk, evaluate new-build construction risks, and track urban wildlife. The navigator allows public servants from around the world to learn from the examples and talk to the people who created them.