---
title: Dalhousie experts push for AI optimism at Halifax town hall
date: 2026-02-27
location: Halifax Central Library, Halifax, Nova Scotia
categories: [town hall]
toc: true
---

![](https://cdn.dal.ca/news/2026/02/27/ai-nova-scotia-future/_jcr_content/image.adaptive.579.high.jpg/1772216006431.jpg){width=100%}

A public panel hosted at the Halifax Central Library brought together Dalhousie researchers and a provincial policymaker to explore how artificial intelligence is already shaping life and work across Nova Scotia.

The discussion aimed to provide a jargon-free look at AI, inviting members of the public to share questions, concerns, and ideas. What emerged over the course of the evening was a distinctly optimistic perspective: that with education, local talent, and thoughtful governance, AI can be used to strengthen communities and public services.

## Here, now, next

One thing was immediately clear: AI is no longer confined to technical specialists. Nearly everyone in the room had used tools such as ChatGPT recently, and many reported using them multiple times a day.

But the panel emphasized that AI extends far beyond chatbots. Audience members heard examples of research and real-world applications already underway at Dalhousie and across the province, including:

- sensor technologies to detect disease in farm animals;
- AI tools that help people with cerebral palsy communicate more effectively; and
- practical public-sector uses intended to improve the speed and quality of services.

These examples helped ground the conversation in present-day reality rather than distant speculation.

## Hype versus reality

The panel did not dismiss the risks associated with AI. Concerns such as privacy breaches, misinformation, discrimination, and harmful chatbot behaviour were acknowledged as serious.

At the same time, speakers noted that Canada already has legal and regulatory frameworks intended to protect the public. The challenge, they argued, is ensuring that these protections are properly applied to the organizations developing and deploying AI systems.

Dr. Mike Smit, Dean of the Faculty of Management, pointed to the way organizations increasingly use data they already hold to train internal AI models. He also cautioned against treating current large language models as a permanent endpoint, noting the technology sector's repeated cycles of rapid hype followed by the next major shift.

## Easing anxiety

A recurring question from the audience focused on whether AI will replace workers.

Jennifer LaPlante, Nova Scotia's Deputy Minister of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions, pushed back on that assumption. Her view was that while AI can automate specific tasks, replacing people wholesale is neither simple nor cheap. The true costs include not only deployment, but also maintenance, security, and oversight.

In the provincial government context, she described AI as a tool that can help improve service delivery and make processes more efficient. The key question, she suggested, is not what AI will do to people, but how people and institutions will choose to use it.

## Deepfakes for good

Another topic raised by the audience was deepfake technology and the risks associated with fabricated audio and video.

Dr. Suresh Neethirajan, Canada Research Chair in Digital Livestock Farming, acknowledged the harms of such tools while also urging people to consider whether the same underlying technologies can be used constructively.

He pointed to agricultural examples in which extended-reality simulations can reduce stress in animals, arguing that the impact of AI systems depends heavily on the human intentions guiding their use.

## Education as a supportive tool

The discussion repeatedly returned to one theme: education.

Panelists argued that public understanding is essential if society wants to shape AI rather than simply react to it. That means helping people move beyond headlines and fear, and toward a clearer understanding of what these technologies do, how they work, and where they can be useful.

Dr. Frank Rudzicz, director of the Atlantic AI Institute, emphasized the importance of building local talent and investing in local ecosystems. In his view, long-term success depends on bringing together strong public literacy, strong research capacity, and strong regional institutions.

## Why this matters for Nova Scotia

The event highlighted a growing local appetite for informed, practical conversations about AI. Rather than framing the technology only as a source of disruption, the panel presented it as something that communities, governments, and researchers can shape together.

For Nova Scotia, that means supporting homegrown expertise, helping the public engage critically and confidently with new tools, and ensuring that the benefits of AI development remain connected to local needs.

_Source: adapted from Dal News, “Dalhousie experts push for AI optimism at Halifax town hall,” published February 27, 2026._