WIB-Greater Montreal: Increasing Your Efficiency with Artificial Intelligence

On June 11, 2025, Women In Bio Greater Montreal hosted a webinar that moved beyond AI basics to explore its transformative potential, ethical implications, and practical applications for professionals in life sciences. The event opened with remarks from our WIB-Greater Montreal Chair, Anita Mac Eachern, who presented WIB's mission and programs and introduced our featured speakers and innovation experts, Audrey Thibodeau Poulin and Viviane Orge.

Some key takeaways from the session:

• AI Trends & Access – Audrey explained how recent advances in data generation, algorithm performance, and accessibility (especially post-ChatGPT) have propelled AI into the mainstream.
• AI Ethics & Environmental Impact – Viviane addressed vital concerns: bias, privacy, transparency, model collapse, and AI’s significant energy footprint—reminding us that responsible development matters.
• AI vs. Misinformation – Both speakers emphasized the importance of human judgment in verifying AI-generated content, reinforcing that critical thinking and oversight are irreplaceable.
• AI in Healthcare & Research – From drug discovery to patient stratification, Audrey showcased how AI is reshaping healthcare delivery and called on scientists to adapt and collaborate with AI to stay competitive.
• AI Tools & Prompt Engineering – Audrey introduced a framework for prompt design and demonstrated advanced techniques like prompt chaining. Viviane delivered a live demo of ChatGPT, Copilot, and Perplexity, showing real-world use cases—research, protocols, summarization, and even hypothesis generation.

The session was interactive and sparked thoughtful discussions. Participants were particularly intrigued by the ethical and environmental impacts of AI, and found the practical demonstrations of AI tools highly relevant to their day-to-day work. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our incredible speakers for their insightful presentations and generous knowledge-sharing and to everyone who joined us for this engaging event!

Submitted by Ting Jin