Putting Innovation to Work

In recent months, I’ve found myself thinking more concretely about what it means for the University of Toronto to “meet the moment” – not as a slogan but as choices about where we direct our energy, talent and resources right now.

There is no single answer. We are meeting this moment in many ways – recruiting exceptional people from around the world, rethinking degrees for a rapidly changing economy, and improving how discovery translates into real-world benefit. But few areas bring the urgency of this work into sharper focus than artificial intelligence.

U of T is often described as the birthplace of modern AI, and rightly so. Geoffrey Hinton’s work helped transform an academic field into a technology that’s reshaping economies and societies. Today, our researchers continue to advance AI while grappling with its implications across medicine, education, work and public life.

That responsibility matters because AI is moving faster than most institutions, governments or citizens can absorb. As the home of Geoffrey Hinton, and as a public university with global reach, we have a duty not only to lead in research, but to support deeper public understanding of how this technology is already influencing our lives, and how it may affect us all in the years ahead.

There is a distinctly Canadian dimension to this challenge. Canada has been slower than many peers to adopt AI at scale, contributing to our productivity problem. At the same time, many organizations hesitate to move forward, concerned – understandably – about the impact on jobs. The temptation to wait is strong. But waiting is not a strategy.

Here, U of T’s range of expertise is a strength. As with our response to the climate emergency, we can use our three campuses as a living lab – integrating AI thoughtfully and sharing what we learn. The aim is not automation for its own sake but change that allows organizations to thrive while supporting the people who work within them.

We already see what this can look like. At St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, an AI tool developed by Unity Health under the direction of U of T professor Muhammad Mamdani has dramatically reduced the time emergency department nurses spend on complex scheduling tasks, freeing hours that can now be devoted to patient care. This is innovation that supports rather than replaces human work – a model with relevance far beyond medicine.

As we approach our bicentennial, reflection gives way to ambition. The future may be uncertain, but our direction need not be. There is no reason the University of Toronto should not aspire to be the world’s leading public university – building on our strengths, confronting what must improve and focusing where it matters most.

Meeting the moment has never meant standing still. It means acting with purpose, confidence and care – qualities that have defined this institution for nearly two centuries, and will guide us into our third.