Saskatchewan hosts first artificial intelligence expo, drawing hundreds to Saskatoon

Saskatoon's Prairieland Park hosted a major AI expo on Monday, bringing together students, industry and the public to see how it's already being used.

More than 400 people gathered at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon on Monday for the province’s first major artificial intelligence (AI) expo.

The event, organized by Artificial Intelligence Saskatchewan, brought together tech companies, students and the public for a full day of talks, demonstrations and hands-on learning.

Across the expo floor, attendees could see AI in action — including in 3D printing.

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Ryan Williams demonstrated how he uses AI tools to create his custom designs, including the hundreds of name tags for the expo.

“I’m a commercial realtor who’s a big nerd at heart,” he said, laughing.

“I was always a Lego kid growing up, so I always loved to build. And I just saw this as the next step — you can build anything with it.”

From online catalogues, Williams downloads digital blueprints for his designs.

“We download it, hit slice, hit print. It can be as simple as that,” he said, sitting in front of his computer, which communicates with his 3D printer.

His creations include clocks, skeletons and a cube lamp with detailed images of The Legend of Zelda.

Alex Fallon, founder of Artificial Intelligence Saskatchewan, said the goal of the expo is to make artificial intelligence more accessible.

“Part of the purpose of the expo is really to help people learn about AI, especially if you’re a beginner,” Fallon said.

“If you’re new to AI, it’s really about trying it, hearing from experts, talking to other people.”

Fallon said he’s already planning to bring the expo back next year, with hopes of making it even bigger.

Beside Williams’ 3D printer sat examples of older technology, including Nintendo game systems, highlighting how quickly innovation is evolving.

“It makes me think about what this technology is going to look like in 10, 15 years.”