Eleven Emirati experts explore Canada's leading AI institutions

Eleven Emirati artificial intelligence experts from the National Experts Programme’s Artificial Intelligence track (NEP-AI) are engaging with some of Canada’s leading researchers and institutions to examine how frontier AI research can be translated into responsible applications in government and commercially viable solutions.

The international study visit, which began on Monday and runs until 2nd October across Montreal and Sherbrooke, forms part of the NEP-AI and includes sessions at Mila, McGill University, Scale AI and Université de Sherbrooke.

NEP-AI’s international study visits connect participants with leading experts, innovators and institutions in major global AI hubs. They aim to expand participants’ understanding of international AI applications, governance approaches and best practices, while encouraging comparative learning and long-term collaboration.

The delegation includes Dr. Nadya Mohamed, Dr. Mariam Al Harbi, Dr. Reem Al Jneibi, Dr. Mohammad Alsharid, Eng. Ahmed Hamarain, Eng. Ahmed Alshehhi, Capt. Eng. Saif Alhaj, Eng. Suhail Al Marzooqi, Saleh Alobeidli, Col. Mohamed Al Obeidli and Hamdan Alameri.

The experts represent a range of AI-related fields, including computing and processing, generative AI, human-AI co-design, AI chips, autonomous systems, cybersecurity, responsible startup scaling and the future of work.

The study visit includes a visit to Mila, a Montreal-based artificial intelligence research institute, where participants will examine how the institute grew from a university research laboratory into one of the world’s largest academic AI research centres.

The programme will explore the foundations of a national AI ecosystem, including funding, talent development, research priorities and government partnerships.

Participants will take part in a sovereign AI decision simulation, assuming the roles of national decision-makers responding to geopolitical pressures, competing domestic priorities and limited resources.

Across the five days, sessions will also address the deployment of large language models within government and public institutions, including agentic AI systems capable of completing connected tasks across complex workflows.

Professor Yoshua Bengio, Founder and Co-President of LawZero and Founder of Mila, will lead a session on safe-by-design AI. Hugo Larochelle, Scientific Director of Mila, will discuss the future of AI research and the challenges involved in moving advanced research towards practical deployment.

Valérie Pisano, President and CEO of Mila, said, “International collaboration plays an important role in advancing AI research and ensuring that its benefits reach institutions and communities. This programme allows us to build a bridge between Mila’s world-class community of nearly 2,000 researchers and professionals, Canada’s broader AI ecosystem, and a distinctive group of Emirati leaders across government, industry, and academia.”

At McGill University, participants will examine responsible AI engineering and governance. The programme will explore how AI is changing information environments, how different jurisdictions approach regulation and how organisations can respond to a rapidly evolving AI-related crisis. A live simulation will place participants inside a generative AI incident affecting global shipping and trade.

The visit will also explore how frontier research is translated into commercially viable solutions. Sessions involving Mila Ventures, Canadian startups and Scale AI will examine the path from the laboratory to the market, including investment, technology partnerships and the practical application of research.

Each participant will also have an opportunity to meet researchers and AI professionals during two dedicated capstone sessions.

The programme will conclude at the Université de Sherbrooke, where participants will visit the Institut Quantique and the Interdisciplinary Institute for Technological Innovation, known as 3IT. They will explore advances in quantum computing and neuromorphic systems, including approaches to developing more energy-efficient hardware for future AI applications.

The international study visit forms part of NEP-AI’s eight-month learning journey, which brings together 32 Emirati experts from government, technology and academia to support the UAE’s national AI priorities.