Join us for the QT Connect Meetup in Ottawa on August 21, presented by AWS. This event will feature a fireside chat with Mark Schaan, Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet – Artificial Intelligence at the Privy Council Office, Government of Canada, and Naoufel Testaouni, Co-Founder and CEO of QueerTech.

In this intimate 30-minute conversation, we will delve into the intersection of Governance, AI, and Civic Engagement, aligning with our 2024 theme: Queering Up: Expand your Mindset to be Future-Ready. The conversation will center on Mark’s work and insights, while addressing key questions that matter to our community as we navigate the future of work and technology.

Key discussion points include:

• Prioritizing ethics in AI development and deployment in the public sector. 

• Building public trust through transparency and accountability in government AI initiatives.

• Preparing the workforce for AI-driven changes, with a focus on underrepresented groups.

• Balancing AI regulation with the desire for innovation to ensure inclusivity and fairness for all.

This conversation is a unique opportunity to engage with a leader at the forefront of AI policy and governance, offering valuable insights into how we can shape a future that is inclusive, fair, and ready for the challenges and opportunities ahead. Don’t miss this chance to be part of a meaningful dialogue about the future of AI and its societal implications.

We don't want ticket costs to be a barrier to joining us in this discussion. We have scholarship and volunteer tickets available. To sign up for a scholarship ticket or to volunteer, fill out this form.

Agenda:

5:30 PM Arrival and Networking
6:10 PM QT Welcome and Announcements
6:20 PM Conversation with Mark Schaan
7:00 PM Ask & Offers
7:15 PM Networking
8:00 PM Event Closes

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER:

Mark Schaan, Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet – Artificial Intelligence at the Privy Council Office, Government of Canada

Mark Schaan was appointed Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet – Artificial Intelligence in July of 2024. In this role, he supports the overall AI agenda,
seeking to position Canada for leadership in its responsible development and use. Prior to this, Mark served as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategy and Innovation Policy at the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic
Development (ISED). In this role he led on the overall micro-economic and innovation agenda, including supporting the development of the department's
horizontal policy and strategic priorities, including in international affairs, telecommunications, economic security, and all aspects of marketplace
frameworks.

Mark’s career has been highlighted by this cross-cutting policy and framework effort, including leading major consultations and reforms, including for
telecommunications, investment review, intellectual property, bankruptcy and insolvency, privacy and AI. Mark’s public service career has included roles
across the policy spectrum, as well as leading on revitalizing the public service through innovative recruitment models.

Mark earned his BA (Honours) from the University of Waterloo in Political Science with an Honours Option in Peace and Conflict Studies in 2002, where he
studied as a Loran Scholar. Mark earned his MPhil in Comparative Social Policy, conferred in 2004, and his DPhil in Social Policy, conferred in 2010 from the
University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Mark is also actively involved in his community: chairing the board of the Ottawa Art Gallery,
continued involvement with the Loran Scholars Foundation, and previous leadership at the Ten Oaks Project for 2SLGBTQ+ youth and families.

THANKS TO OUR PRESENTING SPONSOR:

ABOUT AMAZON WEB SERVICES:

Since 2006, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud. AWS has been continually expanding its services to support virtually any workload, and it now has more than 240 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, security, hybrid, media, and application development, deployment, and management from 105 Availability Zones within 33 geographic regions, with announced plans for 21 more Availability Zones and seven more AWS Regions in Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud. Millions of customers—including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—trust AWS to power their infrastructure, become more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit aws.amazon.com