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As RM of Sherwood has approved the construction of a 300-megawatt Bell Canada AI data centre project just outside Regina, Saskatchewan will host its first AI Expo in Saskatoon on April 27 at Prairieland Park.
The event was created by Alex Fallon, who is also the creater of Artificial Intelligence Saskatchewan (AiSK) a group founded in 2023, with 110 members across the province.
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According to the organization’s website, it aims to connect Saskatchewan’s AI ecosystem by educating, sharing, advancing, and advocating for AI opportunities across the province.
Fallon recently joined The Evan Bray Show to discuss the upcoming event and how AI is growing on the Prairies.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
EVAN BRAY: What is AiSK?
FALLON: It started about two years ago. I realized at that time there were so many people like me realizing AI was becoming the next big thing but needing to learn more about it. So I started looking for places where I could go and learn, take a course, talk with people, and go to an event and was a little bit surprised to find that didn’t exist.
So we started to talk to people, and we realized there was a need for a gathering place around AI, and that’s how Artificial Intelligence Saskatchewan, or AiSK, was born. It’s a nonprofit organization and we’ve got an advisory board made up of Saskatchewan leaders.
The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, SaskTel, and the University of Saskatchewan is there and we’re really trying to be the hub for AI and an organization that can convene both experts and people who want to learn about AI together to help grow the AI community in the province.
BRAY: When you talk about growing AI and better understanding AI are you talking specifically for businesses, or is this just for everyday people?
FALLON: This is for both. At first it was really the tech community and computer science students who reached out and joined very quickly, and then general members of the public.
We had teachers, accountants, and lawyers who wanted to learn more about AI so they could start using it themselves and then in their businesses. Now we’ve had companies reach out and become members and get involved.
BRAY: Do newer members give you a sense of what they’re looking for, what they’re hoping to get out of it?
FALLON: A lot of it, interestingly, was about trying to find talent for their organization. So the company has realized, gosh, we need to move quickly with AI. We may not have the right people on staff, and they’re trying to find the coder or the AI experts.
So some of it has been talent, and some of it has been just to find out what’s going on in the AI space in Saskatchewan and to support us. Then others want to showcase the AI work they’re doing.
BRAY: It’s amazing to me how I feel like every time I talk about AI, my eyes are opened to a new use for it, or a new way it’s being used. Are you?
FALLON: I’ve been really surprised by the use of AI in the arts — short films, animations, videos, images, and plays. It’s just being used not only in industrial and tech sectors but also in the arts and also by a lot of entrepreneurs to start businesses quicker and cheaper.
BRAY: Is there a need for more regulation when it comes to the guardrails?
FALLON: I think that the ethical use of AI is a hot topic, and a complicated one. You’ve got the legal issues around things like trademarks and copyright and who owns this information.
It reminds me a little bit of when the internet came about. You could use it for good things and you could use it for bad things. But definitely that ethical use is an issue that is not going to go away anytime soon, and it’s something we need to address.
BRAY: Does it feel exponential in the speed in which AI is being adopted in the province?
FALLON: I think one example that really was a surprise to me was the vibe coding thing. Recently it was all about getting an education, you become a computer programmer, a developer, and you write code. Companies were hiring coders to write this.
Now there’s this vibe-coding thing where AI will do it for you, you speak to it about what you want to build, and it will write the code for you. And I think that’s a game changer, and that is going to take us to a whole new place.
BRAY: Is AI the reason we’re losing jobs? Or is it a shift in the market of occupations and what we’re asking employees to do?
FALLON: It will impact some jobs, but it will also create new jobs. I think that’s the cycle of any technology. Yes, it will impact certain industries, but it’s creating a whole new demand for workforce and jobs, and that’ll continue.
BRAY: There are a lot of people who are skeptical as to whether the proposed data centre is a good move for the province. How do you see it?
FALLON: We already have several data centres in the province. SaskTel runs, I think, four, maybe five, so they’re already here. We’re using them. I think having another one is actually a good thing.
In Saskatchewan, we build large infrastructure projects all the time, whether they’re mine sites, processing facilities, or large buildings, and I see this as very similar.
Yes, there are issues with energy use and cooling and water, but a company like Bell has regulations in place to manage that and approve it, and I think as long as they follow the building codes and the permits and the regulations, then it’s a good thing for the province, because it will create new jobs, and that’s good for the economy.
BRAY: What can people expect when they attend the AI Expo?
Alex Fallon: We’ve really tried to focus on trying to make it a kind of a science fair approach to AI. So yes, we’ll have some speakers on AI, the future of AI, but also we have demonstrations of people using AI on the stage. We’ve got booths where you can try people’s technology.
FALLON: This isn’t just for businesses, this is for everyday people. If you’re a person who’s interested in AI, you can buy a ticket and get into this.
We want this to be open to everyone, kids, teenagers, and anyone interested in AI. No matter what kind of level of knowledge you have, you are welcome to learn, because you have to start somewhere.
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