What role can Canada play in the global technology revolution? What are the factors driving optimism and concern around artificial intelligence? How are entrepreneurs harnessing AI to build new ventures?
These are some of the themes that will be addressed by Geoffrey Hinton - a U of T University Professor Emeritus of computer science, the "godfather of AI" and recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics - at a fireside chat held at U of T's Convocation Hall on June 25. Titled " Frontiers of AI ," the conversation will feature Hinton in dialogue with alumnus Nick Frosst - co-founder of AI language processing startup Cohere , who was Hinton's first hire at Google Brain.
Part of the Desjardins Speaker Series, the fireside chat is one of the most highly anticipated events of the inaugural Toronto Tech Week , a showcase of Toronto's burgeoning tech and innovation sector that runs from June 23-27 (in-person tickets to the Convocation Hall event are sold out, but the discussion will be livestreamed globally).
The discussion will be followed by the Toronto Tech Week Lawn Party , an outdoor startup showcase and networking event held at the Knox College Quad and hosted by U of T in partnership with Desjardins and Dell Technologies. The gathering will showcase the myriad ways U of T is integrated with - and drives - Toronto's innovation ecosystem.
"We have 15 of our most impressive startups that will be demoing and exhibiting outdoors, and we've invited stakeholders from across the university to attend - from students and faculty members to staff and academic leaders," said Jon French, director of U of T Entrepreneurship .
French noted the lawn party will be attended by tech founders, corporate leaders, investors, researchers and industry partners who are looking to engage with the U of T Entrepreneurship community.
Comprising 12 campus linked-accelerators, U of T Entrepreneurship is one of the world's leading university business incubators. U of T entrepreneurs have created more than 1,200 venture-backed companies that have generated more than 17,000 jobs and raised over $12 billion in funding in the last five years alone.
"Our students, faculty members and staff are forging companies in emerging tech spaces such as AI and quantum computing, but also increasingly in the sustainability and climate realm," said French. "These businesses offer multi-pronged benefit to Canada, combining social impact - tackling some of the most pressing challenges of our time - while creating jobs and strengthening the economy."
The insights and impact of U of T innovators will be on display throughout Toronto Tech Week, starting with the official kick-off event on June 23: a town hall hosted by tech magazine BetaKit and featuring speakers including Phil de Luna, adjunct professor of materials science and engineering at U of T. Held at Convocation Hall, the event will see BetaKit unveil the print version of its inaugural "Most Ambitious" issue , which will highlight the individuals and organizations advancing Canada's tech sector.
On June 24, attention shifts to "Homecoming," the mainstage event of Toronto Tech Week , which will feature remarks from visionaries including U of T's Raquel Urtasun, CEO of autonomous trucking startup Waabi and professor of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Sanja Fidler, vice-president of AI research at NVIDIA and associate professor of mathematical and computational sciences at U of T Mississauga, and alumnus Aidan Gomez, co-founder and CEO of Cohere.
That morning will also see U of T's Rotman School of Management host the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Super Session 2025, with top graduating ventures from CDL's global network pitching to investors and business leaders.
Then, on June 25, U of T's Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence will convene a session of lightning talks on AI solutions, and a discussion on how Canadian startups can build and harness AI. Held at the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, the event will culminate with a livestreaming of the Hinton-Frosst fireside chat.
In addition to shining a spotlight on cutting-edge technologies, Toronto Tech Week also features several events highlighting the people - leaders, visionaries and teams - driving innovation. These include a June 26 panel discussion featuring alumnus Mike Murchison, co-founder and CEO of AI customer service startup Ada , that will focus on leadership, cultivating trust and how to navigate setbacks to one's confidence.
