Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 1447 - AI, & Innovation with Wendy Cukier

Tonight on The Brian Crombie Hour, Brian interviews innovation expert Wendy Cukier about AI and innovation. Dr. Wendy Cukier, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Founder of the Diversity Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University, and Academic Director of WEKH and the Future Skills Centre, brings her expertise as co-author of the bestseller Innovation Nation and as one of Canada’s foremost voices on disruptive technologies and innovation.Wendy highlights the dual nature of AI—its power to drive progress and its risks if left unchecked. She calls for smart regulation that sets guardrails without stifling innovation and will share insights from her research on Canadian companies, noting the structural hurdles small and medium enterprises will face. Wendy argues that AI will help address economic disruptions and that immigrant talent will play a vital role in strengthening Canada’s competitiveness. She emphasizes AI’s transformative impact on jobs across healthcare, communications, and beyond, showing how organizations must adapt rapidly. With examples from chatbots to AI-generated content, she illustrates how some roles will vanish while new opportunities will emerge. Wendy spotlights Canada’s challenges with commercialization and adoption, stressing that innovation will depend not only on creating technologies but also on using them effectively. She calls for upskilling to meet the demands of a shifting workforce and champion immigration as a key driver of job creation, labor force renewal, and growth.