91³Ô¹Ï's Raquel Urtasun hails Toronto's AI scene in Global News profile
Published: October 1, 2019
She was drawn to Toronto by the 91³Ô¹Ï’s reputation for artificial intelligence (AI) research, and Raquel Urtasun believes the best is yet to come.
Urtasun, an associate professor in the department of computer science, envisions the city becoming a world leader in AI thanks in large part to the research and talent at 91³Ô¹Ï.
That was one of many insights shared by Urtasun, who is also chief scientist of Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group and head of its self-driving research lab in Toronto, in an interview with Global News for the broadcaster’s #TechinTO series. She is a co-founder of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence.
Urtasun said self-driving technology has the potential to improve road safety and tackle congestion. She added that she hopes to make Toronto one of the first cities to see self-driving cars on its roads.
Originally from Spain, Urtasun identified Toronto’s diversity and the impactful research at institutions like 91³Ô¹Ï as key factors in attracting and retaining the world’s top technology talents – including herself.
“We see a lot of foreign talents that do not necessarily have any ties to Canada that want to come here because this is the place to be," she said.
