Societal Futures

The University of Waterloo, in collaboration with the Perimeter Institute, hosted the TRuST Scholarly Network’s Conversations on Artificial Intelligence (AI), a dynamic and engaging discussion that delved into the societal impact of AI. The event was also supported by the Waterloo AI Institute, which is dedicated to developing human-centered AI for social good, fostering trust with industry partners, and scaling responsible solutions to enhance lives.

The impact of community can often be overlooked or dismissed. As undergraduate students in the Faculty of Science, Emma Collington (BSc ’19, MSc ’22) and Samantha Fowler’s (BSc ’19) experiences as students with disabilities drew them together, and inspired them to build a community.

The year 2023 has unfolded with a dynamic blend of challenges and opportunities, offering us a fresh page to write the story of our University of Waterloo community.

As we embark towards 2024, we can reflect with pride on the continued dedication and achievements of our students, alumni, researchers and staff — all of whom have played an integral role in shaping on-campus initiatives, global events and cutting-edge education and research.

These trending stories highlight just some of the community’s profound impact on our collective future.

University of Waterloo professor and Canada Research Chair in Technology and Social Change Dr. Lai-Tze Fan analyzed hundreds of Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa’s voice-driven skills. Dr. Fan’s goal was to better understand how the encoded technology mirrors and reinforces traditionally feminized labour and sociocultural expectations.

Like so many great decisions in his life, it was the advice of his “Auntie Charity” that led scholar Victor Mawutor Agbo to choose the University of Waterloo as the next phase of his academic journey. 

He had just wrapped up his undergraduate degree in Tourism Management in Ghana and was looking at schools in Europe to continue his studies. “That’s when my auntie who lives in Canada said, 'This university is right next to us, and it's one of the best universities in Canada.’ So that's how I heard about Waterloo," says Agbo.

On November 30th, the University of Waterloo community came together to support eight finalist teams as they pitched their business ideas for their chance at a slice of more than $20,000 in grants.

Waterloo researchers are renowned for transforming societies, economies, technologies, sustainability and health for humanity to thrive in our complex future. However, scholars in many fields have experienced hostile responses to their work. This is particularly true for those whose focus is on social justice scholarship that focuses on discrimination based on gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity and religion. Also impacted are science and technology research; health and vaccine research, and environment, sustainability and climate change research.

See the remarkable achievements of individuals with roots at University of Waterloo recognized on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list.

The annual list highlights young entrepreneurs who are making a difference in their fields. Waterloo-linked founders were named in health care, consumer technology, science, social impact and enterprise technology categories.