Brain drain north
When a respected research professor from a top Ivy League university says he’s pulling up stakes to move to Canada, it says a lot about the shift in the artificial intelligence landscape.
The conversations began about last June, when Donald Trump’s election campaign was doing well, says the professor, who didn’t want his name used. “My family and a number of colleagues were getting very upset and worried about what was happening.”
While it was never his vision to leave his tenured position, he says the fact that different ethnic groups are feeling ostracized is worrisome. “This is not the right place to live right now. Many of the people I have spoken to feel the same way. In fact, half of my research group is not U.S. born. It’s like a nightmare for some, but the good news is there are other countries to go to.”
He admits that his first inquiries were with universities in Australia. “I then started to look into Canada. Many of us in the field today learned from people there. Canada is also the closest destination for our extended family, so it would be much easier to visit.”
Offers from Canadian universities have been generous, including bridge financing for a fullscale research lab, he says. This was critical, considering that when he does make the move, a good portion of his research team will follow. “With people like me, they go where we go.”
Yoshua Bengio says this is not an isolated incident; he’s had more AI experts who want to leave the U. S. to study or work in Canada knocking on his door in recent weeks. “Some are in wait-and-see mode, but others have already made up their minds to change their plans and are choosing Canada,” says the head of the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms ( MILA) at Université de Montréal. “People want to be in countries where they feel welcome.”
The U. S. industry itself is rattled because it stands to lose a lot in terms of AI and technology, he adds. “Because a majority of people who work in the industry are not U.S. born, you can imagine the disaster it could be if foreigners (are banned from entry).”
Canada’s AI academic and startup communities definitely stand to benefit from the travel ban concerns, confirms William Melek, director of mechatronics engineering at University of Waterloo. In fact, inquiries into the university’s AI programs have almost tripled in recent months. Applications for engineering disciplines in general have grown 36 per cent, including applicants who received admission offers from such institutions as UC Berkeley and University of Texas.
Melek points out that this is despite the fact that in October 2016, the U. S. government released The National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan, which indicates that in 2016, the country invested US$ 1.1 billion in unclassified R& D in AI and outlines a roadmap to advance AI research.
The travel ban by the Trump administration, however, will impede Washington’s strategic plans because it undermines people’s sense of security, Melek says. “The new administration may be planning to adopt the roadmap for AI development, but they may not have thought it through with the travel ban. That will drive highly qualified personnel away from Silicon Valley and towards research hubs in Canada. It is actually helping us solidify our position as a very effective alternative.”
Dr. Alexander Wong, Canada Research Chair, department of systems design engineering at University of Waterloo, in talking with colleagues in the tech sector, has found that the travel ban is having an impact in two ways. “First, while most people think more about foreign workers being banned from entering the United States to start careers, there is a big concern with people who are already working in the United States who are prevented from leaving the country to travel for both personal and work-related reasons. They are essentially trapped in the United States as they fear that they may not be able to return.”
There is also a continued fear that some will not be able to renew their work visas, he adds. “As such, they are looking for career opportunities in Canada, which they see as a much more welcoming place.”
The same concerns are also affecting the startup community. A number of co-op students who did their internships in the U.S. and started companies there are thinking of coming back, Melek says. “We have what it takes to attract them back and be leaders globally. What Trump is doing with the ban is not helping them invest in AI, but is actually reinforcing our strengths in this area. I feel badly for them, but happy for us.”