Industry experts gather in Montreal to explore how AI is used in Quebec

E-AI 2025 has returned to Montreal for the first time in two years to explore how AI is reshaping the creative, cultural, and entertainment industries in Quebec.

This year’s theme – “On a Human Scale” — aims to demonstrate that technology can serve as a catalyst for creativity while also exploring the Current and future challenges of AI.

“We are proud to be leaders worldwide in terms of our creative industry and our AI industries. But if we don’t do the work now and really start digging deep inside the tech, we’re going to be left behind,” said Alexandre Teodoresco, co-chair of E-AI.

“We want the creators to really start touching it, feeling it, to see how we can really enhance their work as a creative director.”

Teodoresco says this event is an opportunity for artists and industry professionals to engage with some of the brightest minds in the field.

“This moment will allow them to understand where we are in the state of the art, where we are in terms of the creatives, how they’ve been able to include, now in their workflows, some of those tools and really demystify this technology. And understand that it’s only just another tool in the toolset of creators.”

The two-day event featured over 1,000 participants, interactive machines, and a variety of conferences discussing AI controversies, abilities, impacts on jobs, and tools that continue to evolve every day.

“When we talk about AI among peers in the creative industries, or even in the corridors of conferences on AI regulation, it’s not the dangers we focus on, but rather the opportunities. We are generally fascinated by what these tools can already do and their potential. We are curious and eager to embrace these technologies. That’s the essence of E-AI,” said Teodoresco.

As the AI train continues to roll, Teodoresco and others emphasized the importance of making sure Quebec is at the forefront of this AI revolution

“I want to make sure that what we created in Quebec got discovered always and always. We have such a rich culture and because of AI,” said Anne Nguyen, a representative with the Quebec Innovation Council.

“It has an impact on work. There’s an impact on environment, on democracy, and art and culture. So people are really interested. It’s not only a small interest. It’s what can we do to provide a human connection with AI?”

California-based visual artist Ross Goodwin, spoke at the event on his 12-year experience working with AI and language models — while also dismissing the stigma surrounding AI, culture, and art. 

“Anyone who thinks that directly replacing human workers with AI is a good idea is doomed to fail. Because what makes comedy good is the human element. What makes art worth absorbing and worth looking at is that it reflects the human experience. Art that doesn’t reflect the human experience is pretty worthless,” said Goodwin.

“I think that AI or machine learning systems, it’s something that we all interact with on a daily basis through our phones, through our computers. At this point, it’s in everybody’s life for better or worse. And I think we need to elevate public discourse around AI in order to create a better future.”