Artificial
Intelligence
and Machine
Learning
in Montreal:
Opportunities for
NRC IRAP
NRC IRAP ITA Candidate Technical Presentation
Davender Gupta, MS, MBA
Montreal, July 13, 2020
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

Montreal is a world leader in AI
https://www.montrealinternational.com/en/keysectors/artificial-intelligence/
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

Many AI startups in Montreal are actually ML
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Machine Learning (ML)
Simulation of human thinking and
behavior
Subset of AI
Learn from data without being
explicitly programmed
Solve complex problems Learn from data to provide better
recommendations
Maximizing chances of success Accuracy and Patterns
Learning, reasoning and self-
correction
Learning and self-correction with
new data
Structured, semi-structured and
unstructured data
Structured and semi-structured
data
https://www.javatpoint.com/difference-between-artificial-intelligence-and-machine-learning
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

Adapted from “The Age of Analytics: Competing in a data-driven world”, McKinsey Global Institute, December 2016
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-analytics/our-insights/the-age-of-analytics-competing-in-a-data-driven-world
AI/ML as an Ecosystem
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

Adapted from “The Age of Analytics: Competing in a data-driven world”, McKinsey Global Institute, December 2016
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-analytics/our-insights/the-age-of-analytics-competing-in-a-data-driven-world
Data Collection, Structuring,
Validation and Maintenance
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

Adapted from “The Age of Analytics: Competing in a data-driven world”, McKinsey Global Institute, December 2016
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-analytics/our-insights/the-age-of-analytics-competing-in-a-data-driven-world
Model Operationalization
and Lifecycle Management
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

Adapted from “The Age of Analytics: Competing in a data-driven world”, McKinsey Global Institute, December 2016
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-analytics/our-insights/the-age-of-analytics-competing-in-a-data-driven-world
Project Scope Management
and End User Integration
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

Adapted from “The Age of Analytics: Competing in a data-driven world”, McKinsey Global Institute, December 2016
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-analytics/our-insights/the-age-of-analytics-competing-in-a-data-driven-world
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

Challenges specific to these technologies
and industry sectors which use them
Mismatch between promise and results
• Algorithmic Bias
• Quality and management of data
• Scalability and robustness of solutions
• Solutions have short half-life
and need constant maintenance (manpower intensive)
• Current AI development techniques are primitive
• Similar to early Web tools (pre-CMS 1997-2003)
• Too much focus on technology innovation
and not enough on value innovation
• Finding the specific questions/problems where AI/ML can change the game
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

Innovation challenges or issues affecting
SME end users in the Montreal region
• AI/ML innovators tend to think in technology terms
and not enough from the end users’ perspective (“WIIFM”)
•SME end users of AI/ML are not well informed on what the technology can and cannot do
• Is “industrial innovation” cost-effective in generating value?
• Should more resources focus on emerging startups who are closer to end users?
•Abundance of money distorts development priorities
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

For Technology Innovation to Succeed,
Seek Value Innovation
Value Innovation
Simultaneously increasing the utility
of the offer to the buyer (“Buyer Value”)
while reducing or eliminating the cost factors
required to produce this utility
“Value innovators look for blockbuster ideas
and quantum leaps in value.”
- W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne (HBR, July-Aug 2004)
Chan
Kim
&
Renée
Mauborgne.
Blue
Ocean
Strategy.
https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/tools/value-innovation/
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

From
Awareness
to Operational
and Beyond
https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/the-cios-guide-to-artificial-intelligence/
Technology innovators
must consider how to be
the linchpin in
their end users’
value creation chain
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

How IRAP helps innovators succeed
• Technology development, new products, prototyping
• Feasibility studies
• From pre-revenue to SME
Funding
• Technology, business strategy, market opportunities
• Project management
• Networking
Advisory
• Other National, Regional or International initiatives
• Resources within NRC
• Superclusters
Connection
IRAP Mission
Accelerate the growth of small and medium-sized businesses by providing them with a
comprehensive suite of innovation services and funding
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

Encourage innovators to work with
end users and partners early
in the development process to
mitigate commercialization risk
Help innovators to seek
value innovation
as they pursue
technology innovation
Connect with end users of the
technologies to help innovators
create better
problem-solution fit
How ITAs help innovators succeed
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

Adapted from “The Age of Analytics: Competing in a data-driven world”, McKinsey Global Institute, December 2016
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-analytics/our-insights/the-age-of-analytics-competing-in-a-data-driven-world
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

What I offer IRAP as ITA
• Help innovators get closer to real-world use cases
• Look for opportunities through the whole
technology ecosystem
• Deep experience in helping innovators
build scalable business models
• Focus on value innovation to ensure ROI for
the startup, for its end users, for NRC and for Canada
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.

Davender Gupta, MS, MBA
davender@davender.com
514-296-6288
©2020 Davender Gupta. All rights reserved.