Accenture's The AI Effect Podcast Launches Season 2; Unites Artificial Intelligence Leaders to Discuss Challenges and Benefits of AI Adoption in Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau among guests interviewed by Jodie Wallis of Accenture and technology journalist Amber Mac

TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2018 /CNW/ - Accenture (NYSE: ACN) today launched the second season of its highly successful podcast series The AI Effect. The seven-episode season features hosts Jodie Wallis, Accenture's managing director of Artificial Intelligence in Canada, together with award-winning technology journalist Amber Mac, who interview AI industry leaders on how Canada can solve adoption challenges in key industries and reap the benefits of AI.

Building on the successful first season of the podcast this past February, season two of The AI Effect extends the discussion around AI, focusing on how it is transforming key Canadian industries — starting with a 20-minute exclusive interview with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. On launch day for season two, The AI Effect ranked among Canada's top 10 business podcasts.

"Unleashing the power of artificial intelligence is at the top of the agenda for Canada's industry leaders, and so we're thrilled that Prime Minister Trudeau agreed to join us for the premiere episode in season two of The AI Effect," said Wallis. "Canadian leaders in government and business recognize that in order for Canada to continue its legacy as a global leader in AI, we must continue to invest in the commercialization of AI to foster adoption."

Each episode of season two of The AI Effect examines how the technology is altering key industries, improving efficiencies, and advancing the accomplishments of humankind, as well as the challenges affecting progress. The following episodes are now available for download on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, or wherever podcasts are available:

• Episode 1: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
• Episode 2: Industry Adoption
• Episode 3: Agriculture and the Environment
• Episode 4: Healthcare
• Episode 5: Insurance
• Episode 6: Customer Service
• Episode 7: Smart Cities

Other guests on The AI Effect 2.0 include:

• Andrew Lo, former President and CEO of Kanetix Ltd.;
• Anna Goldenberg, Scientist, Genetics & Genome Biology at Goldenberg Labs at SickKids Research Institute;
• Bharath Sudarsan, Co-Founder & Director of Deep Learning at SomaDetect;
• Bryan Smith, CEO & Founder of ThinkData Works;
• Cameron Schuler, Chief of Commercialization Officer & VP, Industry Innovation at the Vector Institute;
• Craig Nevill-Manning, Head of Engineering at Sidewalk Labs;
• David Lennie, former SVP Data Science and Engineering at Shopify;
• Elissa Strome, Executive Director, Pan-Canadian AI Strategy at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research;
• Étienne Mérineau, Co-Founder & CPO at HeyDay.ai;
• Hassan Murad, CEO & Co-Founder, Intuitive;
• Joelle Pineau, head of the Facebook AI Research Lab;
• John Heveran, Chief Digital Enablement Officer at Liberty Mutual Insurance;
• John Tory, Mayor of Toronto;
• Kathryn Hume, VP Product & Strategy at integrate.ai;
• Kenton White, Chief Data Scientist at Advanced Symbolics Inc.;
• Lorenzo D'Alessandro, President of 427 Auto Collision;
• Lauren Rathmell, Director & Co-Founder of Lufa Farms Greenhouse;
• Siim Sikkut, Government Chief Information Officer for the Republic of Estonia;
• Tomi Poutanen, Chief AI Officer at TD's Layer 6 AI; and
• Valérie Pisano, President & CEO at the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms.

The AI Effect 2.0 podcast series was produced by a team led by Stuart Coxe at Entertainment One's Podcast Network. It is sponsored by Accenture as part of the company's ongoing commitment to the advancement of artificial intelligence in Canada. Additionally, Accenture was a founding platinum sponsor of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in 2017.

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world's largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 459,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

SOURCE Accenture