The University of Toronto’s Acceleration Consortium (AC) is excited to become a member of the AI Alliance, a global network co-founded by IBM and Meta that is shaping the future of open, safe, and responsible AI. This mission aligns with AC’s use of AI to not only create new materials for a fraction of usual time and cost, but to ensure these materials are ethically designed to benefit society and the planet.

Together the AI Alliance and the AC will develop trusted open-source AI tools and foundation models to accelerate scientific discovery. From climate change to cancer, new materials and molecules are needed to quickly but safely address the world’s most pressing problems.

Like the AI Alliance, the AC is convinced that open and transparent science is essential for creating real innovation. It is collaboration and information sharing that will allow innovation to unfold faster and more responsibly within a community that champions scientific rigour, trust, safety, security, diversity and economic opportunity for all.

“As a consortium, we believe deeply in the power of collaboration,” says Alán Aspuru-Guzik, director of the Acceleration Consortium. “Becoming a member of the AI Alliance is an opportunity to expand our extensive global network of industry, government, and academia that is using AI to fundamentally change the way we do science so that we can solve society-wide challenges in climate, medicine, and beyond.”

At the AI Alliance, the AC joins an exciting group of over 140 companies, startups, research institutions, and policymakers that are working at the forefront of AI technology, applications, and governance. Members include: AMD, CERN, NASA, and Sony, among many others around the world. This month the AI Alliance marks its first anniversary, celebrating a busy year of 93active projects, 1,200 collaborators, 12 working groups, 5 published guides toAI, and 30 events attended by 20,000 people.

"The Acceleration Consortium brings a wealth of knowledge in applying AI to scientific discovery,” says Joe Sehl, Innovation Lead at IBM Canada. "Their participation enhances our collective ability to innovate responsibly across diverse sectors, from health and energy to consumer electronics and construction."

The AC and the AI Alliance share many goals and will work together on projects, events, and policy to drive:

• Collaborative Research: Initiate joint projects that push the boundaries of AI applications in materials science
• Ethical AI: Contribute to establishing global standards for the responsible use of AI in scientific research
• Education: Develop training programs and workshops for students and professionals to foster the next generation of AI and scientific innovators

As a member of the AI Alliance, the AC joins a diverse group dedicated to shaping the evolution of AI in ways that better reflect the needs and the complexity of our societies.

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To learn more about the AI Alliance, visit thealliance.ai. Or, to learn more about the Acceleration Consortium, visit acceleration.utoronto.ca.