We help Quebec harness AI
Find out what AI is and learn about the huge impact this technology could have in all industries!
Learn more about AI and its potentialAbout the Forum
Who are we?
Forum IA Québec supports the development of Quebec’s artificial intelligence ecosystem
Our mission
The mission of Forum IA Québec is to use AI as a lever for the economic and social development of Quebec. It pursues this objective:
- by rallying and mobilizing stakeholders in the field around common projects
- by carrying out monitoring and strategic thinking activities
- by representing and promoting the ecosystem in Quebec, Canada and abroad
The Forum will also support government stakeholders in their efforts to adopt artificial intelligence in an ethical and socially responsible manner, and in the elaboration of policies to support the sector.
Our strength : diversity
We bring together all the different types of players present in the ecosystem (research centers, AI startups, user organizations, etc.)
Our target : Quebec’s economic development
We are helping Quebec position itself as a leader in the responsible production and use of AI
Our stage : the world
We represent and promote our AI ecosystem in Quebec, in Canada and abroad
Our core mission
We do it by leading or supporting various projects
Forum IA Québec helps the ecosystem’s players to meet the challenges they face
Take a look at some of our current initiativesTeam
Forum IA Québec relies on a small team of versatile, inventive and dynamic professionals. Each one of them has a strong knowledge of Quebec’s AI ecosystem and its needs, of economic development issues and of collaborative practices between the private sector, the public sector and the education and research sector.
Marie-Paule Jeansonne
President and Chief Executive Officer
Marie-Paule holds a Master's in International Affairs, with a focus on international finance and economic policy, from Columbia University-SIPA, and a Bachelor of Laws from Université de Montréal. Marie-Paule took over the leadership of the Forum after working on the adoption of research, science and innovation policies within the Quebec government. Previously, she was an engagement manager at McKinsey & Company and a commercial litigation lawyer at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg. Between 2016 and 2018, Marie-Paule took part in Québec’s first efforts to structure its rising AI ecosystem.
Kim Desert
Director of Communications
After obtaining a Master's degree in Public and International Affairs (Université de Montréal), Kim worked as a press secretary and then as a research professional at Université de Sherbrooke.
Anne Boily
Director, AI Ecosystem Performance
Prior to joining the Forum, Anne completed her PhD in Political Science (Université de Montréal) in 2021. Her dissertation focused on the ethics of artificial intelligence from the perspective of policy makers. Previously, she obtained a master's degree (University of Ottawa) and a bachelor's degree (Université Laval) in political science. She worked as a lecturer at the Université de Montréal in 2019 and 2021 (Political thought and Canadian politics), as well as a researcher.
Sarah Gagnon-Turcotte
Director, Artificial Intelligence Adoption
Sarah Gagnon-Turcotte spent her career working at the intersection of research, public policy and technology. She has held several high-level policy positions within the City of Montreal and has worked as a researcher and research manager in academia, the private sector and international organizations. Passionate about innovation, she has been exploring for years the issues associated with technology transfer and the governance of data and AI. She holds a bachelor's degree in international relations from the Université de Montréal and a master's degree in international law from UQAM.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of Forum IA Québec is composed of individuals active, in various capacities, in the artificial intelligence sector. Based throughout Quebec, Forum IA’s directors come from the business sector as well as from the AI research and training community. Currently, nearly half of them are women.
Pierre Boivin, Chairman of the Board
President and Chief Executive Officer
Claridge
Alain Lavoie, Treasurer
President and co-founder
Irosoft
Vincent Aimez, Secretary
Vice-Rector, Valorization and Partnerships
Université de Sherbrooke
Chris Arsenault
Partner
Inovia
Julien Billot
CEO
Scale AI
Narjès Boufaden
Chief Executive Officer
Keatext
Representative of other ecosystem actor
Position to be filled
Isabelle Cayer
Executive Director
CDRIN (CCTT of Cégep de Matane)
Hélène Desmarais
Founder and Executive President
IVADO Labs
Lyse Langlois
Executive Director
International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technologies
Martin LeBlanc
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Montréal InVivo
Jean-François Lessard
Senior Vice President and Chief Data Officer
Intact Financial Corporation
Sylvie Normandeau
Co-Chair
Pôle montréalais d’enseignement supérieur en IA
Valérie Pisano
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mila
Sam Ramadori
President
Brainbox AI
Luc Vinet
CEO
IVADO
Advisory committees in support of Forum IA Québec's priority projects
The Forum consults and engages its partners in priority workstreams, ensuring that it understands and reflects the needs of the AI ecosystem.
Measuring the performance of the Québec AI ecosystem (Performance workstream)
- Lynda Robitaille, Directrice administrative, développement et partenariats, Institut intelligence et données, Université Laval
- Valérie Pisano, President and CEO, MILA
- Julien Billot, CEO, Scale AI
- Daniel Denis, Economist, Advisor, Institut du Québec
- Nathalie de Marcellis-Warin, President and CEO, CIRANO & Professor, Polytechnique Montréal
- Representative of the Ministry of Economy and Innovation