AI is evolving at a breakneck pace, creating opportunities and risks many companies aren’t equipped to manage on their own. The University of Ottawa’s Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence – which opened its doors in July 2026 – is designed to bridge that gap, connecting businesses with specialized AI research and expertise to solve specific business challenges across critical industry sectors.
“We’re not focusing on theory, though we have many talented AI researchers,” explains uOttawa Faculty of Engineering Professor Lionel Briand, also the centre’s director. “We’re focusing on how to help organizations effectively and safely use AI to solve difficult problems in novel ways.”
Solving real-world challenges for businesses with AI
Briand explains that only about 12 per cent of Canadian companies currently make significant use of AI, contributing to what he describes as Canada’s longstanding productivity and innovation problem.
For businesses, the issue is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. “If you don’t engage intelligently with AI, it will not be good for your prospects,” Briand says.
The challenges go well beyond choosing an AI model, however: Companies need to consider not only accuracy but also cost, resource usage, security, privacy, regulation and trustworthiness of AI systems. Indeed, integrating AI models into systems, products, and services is usually a challenge.
For companies in highly regulated industries the challenges can be even more complex, with companies required to demonstrate their AI systems meet regulations and safety standards.
For Ottawa businesses, Briand’s message is straightforward: “AI isn’t simply about finding a model and putting it to work. The challenge is making sure the solution is reliable, secure, cost-effective and safe.
“That’s the gap the Centre for Applied AI is intended to help fill.”
Testing AI before it meets the real world
The broader purpose of the Centre for Applied AI is simple: Helping companies identify where AI can solve an existing business or process problem, while applying AI research expertise to the difficult engineering questions that frequently arise when technology is put into practice.
The centre works with businesses of all sizes, Briand says, adding that he recently assisted General Motors with vehicle safety when researchers helped design AI systems to assist vehicles merging between lanes.
The researchers examined a multitude of scenarios such as what happens when visibility is blocked, or in varying weather conditions. Performing that kind of extensive testing manually would have been extremely difficult, Briand says, and a smart automated testing approach was devised to assess safety in a cost-effective way.
Briand says the centre could ultimately serve as an extension of a company’s R&D capabilities, particularly for businesses without large internal AI research teams.
A powerful resource for businesses in Ottawa and across the country
The centre is intended to work directly with industry partners of various sizes and in various verticals, helping them tackle specific problems rather than simply providing research insights or one-size-fits-all technology tools.
The Faculty of Engineering team helps establish connections with companies, and Briand and other researchers become involved when companies have specific technical questions or problems to explore.
The centre has also begun bringing industry leaders to discuss practical AI challenges and opportunities. A recent session focused on AI in finance, with another planned for October on AI-driven software development.
For businesses trying to determine where AI can make a difference, Briand says the starting point is simple: bring the problem they’re trying to solve to the centre. Its researchers can then determine whether AI is part of the right solution and, if so, how to develop, test, and implement specific tools safely and effectively.
Businesses interested in exploring how AI could help solve a specific problem are invited to reach out to the centre at lbriand@uOttawa.ca.
