Data are everywhere: they are drivers of innovation and at the heart of the transformation taking hold all around us. Integral to many enabling technologies now maturing, from cloud computing to the Internet of things, 5G, 3D, augmented reality, robotics and more, these data and their valorization by analysis are the true activators of economic and social value. Data analysis, the extended family of algorithms, is what makes it possible for machines to analyze information, digest it and take context-based action: from data to decision. This takes us into the realm of artificial, augmented or simply digital intelligence.
IVADO has positioned itself as a core actor in the Québec digital intelligence ecosystem, encompassing data science, operations research, and artificial intelligence (AI). Our vision is to accelerate Québec’s digital transformation by being a catalyst for progress in research into the harnessing of big data for decision-making. Drawing on the recognized expertise of a large academic community combined with industry partners, IVADO has become a lever for value creation as part of that transformation, and a key player in addressing the challenges of digital.
Those challenges include the shortage of qualified labour, changing jobs and workflows, profound transformations to supply chains, ethical questions around responsible use of AI, and the difficulties companies face in adapting to the digital transition (notably SMEs, which make up the vast majority of Québec’s economic fabric).
The main impediments to implementing digital intelligence unquestionably include the abstract character of algorithms and the difficulties in grasping the value potential they can generate from the data. By acting as an interface between leading-edge research and concrete applications in businesses, from start-ups to multinationals, IVADO ensures the mobilization and transfer of knowledge and talent between the two spheres so as to catalyze value creation: helping to increase productivity gains or wellness, developing new products and processes, and contributing to development of new business and societal models.
From personalized medicine to business intelligence to the climate economy, digital intelligence in Québec is bringing profound changes to our lives, our industries and our economy—and, most important, it will prove indispensable in meeting the social and environmental challenges of the 21st century.
