Keynote Speakers
Mark Daley
Chief AI Officer and Professor, Department of Computer Science, Western University
Mark is the chief AI officer at Western University and a professor in the Department of Computer Science with cross-appointments in five other departments, The Rotman Institute of Philosophy, and The Western Institute for Neuroscience. He is also a faculty affiliate of Toronto's Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence.
Mark was named in Maclean's magazine’s "Power List 2024" of the top 100 Canadians shaping the country and in Constellation Research's AI150, a list of top 150 top global executives leading AI transformation efforts.
In October 2024, Mark was appointed the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Scholar in Residence in Artificial Intelligence.Mark has previously served as the Vice-President (Research) at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research(CIFAR), and Chief Digital Information Officer, Special Advisor to the President, and Associate Vice-President (Research) at Western.
Mark is the past chair of Compute Ontario and serves on a number of other boards.
Session details:
Mark’s presentation, Eight Billion Geniuses: Life in a Post-Anthropocentric Intelligence Paradigm, will address the emergence of "commoditized intelligence"—a future where advanced AI capabilities are widely accessible—and poses a central question that invites reflection on both the opportunities and challenges ahead: "What would you do with an army of genius assistants?" As AI systems demonstrate unprecedented capabilities in discovering new antibiotics, solving advanced mathematical problems, and generating creative works indistinguishable from human output, we examine what this paradigm shift means for individual and collective human adaptation in a world where genius-level cognitive assistance becomes universally available.
Daniela Spagnolo
Chief information Security Officer, Ontario Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery
Daniela Spagnolo is the chief information security officer for the Cyber Security Division at the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery within the Ontario Public Service (OPS). She leads a team of over 100 talented cyber security professionals, responsible for delivering a comprehensive cyber risk management program to predict, identify and defend the OPS IT network.
Daniela is a strategic leader, who emphasizes cyber security as a business imperative that enhances resilience, trust, and compliance. Since joining the Ontario Public Service in 2016, she has focused on aligning secure digital access priorities with strategic business objectives and fostering a culture of security awareness at all levels.
Daniela brings over 15 years of executive, operational, financial, and relational leadership expertise to the role of CISO, honed from her previous experiences in the telecommunications sector and through several progressive leadership roles within the OPS Infrastructure Technology Services division. Known by her peers, partners and staff as a strategic, pragmatic, collaborative and visionary leader, Daniela is driven by her authenticity to support an open, diverse and inclusive culture.
Session details:
Daniela will present an examination of the current threat landscape, the impact on colleges and universities, and how these institutions can strengthen their cyber resiliency. Discover the implications of Bill 194, the Strengthening Cyber Security and Building Trust in the Public Sector Act, 2024, the potential for enhanced measures required to protect sensitive data, and the importance of collaboration with government entities and proactive risk management. Learn what is currently at stake, what might be coming, and how higher education institutions can strengthen their cyber resiliency in an increasingly digital era.
