The major artificial intelligence event All In, which opens today at the Palais des congrès, is greeted by a crowd of millions, while Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announces the award of a grant of 6 million dollars (M$) to HEC Montréal.

This amount is intended to continue the Next AI ($3.6 million) and Creative Destruction Lab ($2.4 million) programs. These are aimed at innovative technology companies in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

“AI is an important lever for creating wealth for our future; It is therefore essential for us to accelerate integration into our companies. This is exactly what HEC Montréal is doing with its Next AI and Creative Destruction Lab programs. The school shares in the excitement of the Montreal ecosystem of young startups and leads our companies to excel even more and develop more innovative technologies in the field of AI,” commented Pierre Fitzgibbon, who is also Minister of Innovation and Energy and Minister of Regional Economic Development is the minister responsible for the metropolis and the Montreal region.

These two programs are complementary (incubation and acceleration) and it is not uncommon for some companies to go through both programs.

Next AI, a program of NEXT Canada, is a network designed to accelerate the development of companies using artificial intelligence. The program is offered in collaboration with HEC Montréal under the direction of the École des Dirigeants.

The Creative Destruction Lab, in turn, is a program to support and promote promising technology start-ups. It began its activities in Toronto but has been present at HEC Montréal since 2017. Its network includes 10 locations around the world, including five in Canada.

“We welcome this initiative from the Government of Quebec, which underlines its commitment to the development of AI and supporting innovative organizations. The grant awarded strengthens our ability to train entrepreneurs, equip them with the skills they need to excel in their field and support them throughout their journey,” commented Serge Lafrance, Director of the HEC School of Managers, Montreal.