Tech for Good: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence, Data for Good and Civic Tech Calgary 

Presenters: 

• James Stauch, Director of the Institute for Community Prosperity at Mount Royal University 
• Geoff Zakaib, President of Zakaib Strategies Inc.

As technology increasingly becomes embedded in our lives, we must ask ourselves if emerging technology has an impact on public good and if so, in what way. Together with James Stauch and Geoff Zakaib, we will explore how artificial intelligence is impacting society, how harnessing the power of data can help communities, and what technology can do to improve our cities. Participants will learn how they can get involved in digital social innovation projects. 

James Stauch is the Director of the Institute for Community Prosperity at Mount Royal University where he has developed or co-created social innovation, leadership, and systems-focused learning programs for both undergraduates and the broader community.  A former foundation executive and philanthropy and social change consultant, James currently serves as a Director on the Board of Alberta Ecotrust, as an Advisor to the Metcalf Foundation and Nonprofit Resilience Lab, and on the Editorial Advisory Board of The Philanthropist.  He is the lead author of an annual scan of trends and emerging issues, produced in partnership with Calgary Foundation, and is a regular contributor to the Future of Good and KCI Philanthropy Trends.  His recent contributions to community-partnered knowledge production include Merging for Good: A Case-Based Framework for Nonprofit Amalgamations, with Trellis, The Problem Solver's Companion: A Practitioners' Guide to Starting a Social Enterprise, co-produced with Shaun Loney and Encompass Co-op; In Search of the Altruithm: AI and the Future of Social Good, co-authored with Alina Turner of Helpseeker; and A Student Guide to Mapping a System, co-produced with Daniela Papi-Thornton and the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Oxford.

Geoff Zakaib is the President of Zakaib Strategies Inc. - a management consulting firm based in Calgary. He specializes in the areas of business technology and information management. Geoff has a strong interest in data & technology and is involved in a number of initiatives that span the public, private and social sectors. He is a Director of Data for Good and the organizer of the Calgary chapter. He co-founded CivicTechYYC and has helped to build the civic tech ecosystem across Canada. Geoff is active in the Open Data / Open Government movements as the Executive Director of Open Calgary. He was previously a community member of the City of Calgary e-Government Strategy Advisory Committee and the External Advisory Committee of Civic Innovation YYC.

Register below or through Eventbrite

Emerging Technologies Consortium (ETC) is a monthly online talk where Mount Royal students, employees, and the general community come together to discuss a common interest in new tech developments. The ETC is a virtual space where those who explore and adopt emerging technologies come together to share their work in teaching, research and co-curricular activities. Topics of discussion will include virtual and augmented reality, 3D printing. E-sports, machine learning, robotics, wearables, and more. 

Wednesdays, Monthly

12pm-1pm

Online Delivery (Google Meet)