Among them, Pierre Dodin, Senior Data Scientist at Bombardier and Frédérick Riel, Director of Lion Energie and Lion Beat at Lion Électrique, participated in the panel on the application of AI in logistics and transportation. For them, the successful application of AI depends on the quality of data analysis processes, and above all on collaboration with partners who are experts in the field. “We needed a more robust process. Thanks to the data engineers and developers at IVADO Labs, we have been able to build, compile and industrialize all the knowledge. We can now have more stable inventory management processes,” says Mr. Dodin, emphasizing the company’s need for data intelligence and the important role collaborators play in achieving results.
Where Lion Électrique is concerned, the partnership with Géotab has enabled the implementation of a powerful real-time data collection process on trucks. “Lion has integrated telemetry on vehicles, which helps us improve our R&D approach and better understand the issues based on the results of the data analysis,” says Riel.
“To improve our installation times and provide much faster service to customers, we’ve had to assemble multi-functional teams to review business processes and challenge practices.”
— Martin Denault, Director, Business Intelligence at Bell
Faced with challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, many AI integration project managers have seen their projects modified to help their businesses cope with the crisis. Among them, Martin Denault, Director, Business Intelligence at Bell, mentions the deep need for adaptation to better manage the sharp increase in demand. He also stresses the importance of partnerships in achieving their objectives: “With the high level of customization and the complexity of the supply chain across Canada, a lot of data is individualized. To improve our installation times and provide much faster service to customers, we’ve had to assemble multi-functional teams to review business processes and challenge practices.”
“It takes funding, clients, and business partners to develop the solution, but also academic partners, without whom the implementation of these solutions would not be possible.”
— Louis Parent, Thales
Louis Parent of the company Thales used the panel on health to highlight the important collaborative effort to help hospitals better manage the crisis. Through the implementation of two projects funded by Scale AI, the company has deployed AI processes to more effectively manage waiting rooms, operating room schedules, procurement, and team availability. These initiatives are extremely beneficial to hospitals, which are now more resilient during higher-occupancy times. For Mr. Parent, the key to success once again lies in partnerships: “For us, the ecosystem is more than just a buzzword. It takes funding, clients, and business partners to develop the solution, but also academic partners, without whom the implementation of these solutions would not be possible.”
“AI can help reduce the carbon footprint in the supply chain. We can achieve carbon neutrality, which many large companies demand.”
— Florent Bouguin, Vice-President, Chief Technology Officer at Optel Group
Mr. Florent Bouguin, Vice-President, Chief Technology Officer at Optel Group, emphasized the merits of the technology and its applications for environmental purposes. “AI can help reduce the carbon footprint in the supply chain. We can achieve carbon neutrality, which many large companies demand. The potential of AI is enormous, and it’s real. It’s super motivating,” he says. Indeed, the key to achieving carbon neutrality lies in the traceability of the supply chain, an issue that Optel Group is tackling head-on with the support of Scale AI.
“Acceleration isn’t just about accelerating a product launch; it’s also about accelerating human relationships.”
— Sylvain Carle, Senior Director at SecondMuse Capital
As part of the panel on smart solutions for decarbonizing the economy, Mr. Sylvain Carle, Senior Director at SecondMuse Capital, also emphasized the essential nature of an ecosystem. “Acceleration isn’t just about accelerating a product launch; it’s also about accelerating human relationships. No panelist present at the Forum doubts the potential of artificial intelligence, but our biggest challenge remains to coordinate humans. So we need to come together to have common goals.” He concludes by emphasizing that people from all walks of life are important in discussions addressing global climate change issues.
All in all, the importance of alliances is the common thread of diversified projects, in terms of both industry and data structure. Surrounding yourself with the right people is more than a strategy, it’s the key to success for companies looking to integrate AI into their business.
Presented in March 2021 and bringing together more than 900 participants, the Strategic Forum on Artificial Intelligence was organized by Scale AI in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal and Forum IA Québec.
Also read Advancing AI together.
* Isabelle Turcotte is CMO at Scale AI.
