May 2024 Edited by: Devin Andrade

Dear Colleagues,

The recent clash between actor Scarlett Johansson and Open AI, in which Johansson accused the company of deliberately mimicking her voice (after she had denied permission to use it) has highlighted the at-times fraught relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) companies and artistic communities.

While many artists are using AI as a tool to help them realize their visions, (musician FKA Twigs created a deepfake version of herself to reach a more global fanbase, for example), there are growing calls for regulation to protect artistic work and better safeguard a person’s image, voice, and likeness as intellectual property. Multiple lawsuits are underway by authors, artists and music publishers over copyright infringement, and the use of AI was at the centre of the recent SAG-ACTRA strike.

Meanwhile, legislation has been proposed to govern the use of AI in entertainment industries. The No Fakes Act, a bipartisan bill in the US Senate, seeks to prevent the production or distribution of AI-generated replicas without the consent of the individual being replicated. In Canada, the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act is meant to regulate the development and use of AI systems in Canada, establishing common requirements across the country.

At Seneca, our Academic Statement on Generative AI and Gen AI Policy emphasize our mandate is to get our students career and world-ready – which includes recognizing how generative artificial intelligence technologies are reshaping industries. We will provide opportunities for our students to critically engage with these evolving technologies, helping them understand benefits they have to offer while being cognizant of the potential for misuses and abuses, including copyright infringement.

To support this goal and help faculty guide our students, Seneca has created the role of Gen AI Thought Leader. Among other duties, Gen AI Thought Leaders will facilitate discussions for faculty to think creatively about GenAI and imagine ways to fuel innovation at Seneca when it comes to teaching, applied research, industry collaborations and more.

Professor Kent Peel has been appointed as one of Seneca’s Gen AI Thought Leaders. Kent brings decades of teaching experience to his role, as well expertise working at the intersection of law, machine learning, and large language models. He will be working with multiple faculties in this space and is available to support any school in FCAD.

Kent will be assisting the School of Creative Arts & Animation, and the significant number of faculty we already have with expertise in AI and the creative industries, as we organize forums, discussions, and collaborations with industry partners, all aimed at ensuring we use AI in ways that amplify human creativity while respecting artistic integrity. More details to come.

Stay well and stay safe,

Kurt

SCAA’s Illustration program hosted 25 of its graduating classes at The Pilot in Yorkville on Saturday May 11th, with support from the Seneca Alumni Association. Alumni from past years traveled from as far as Vancouver to attend the event due, in part, to its smart alignment with the annual TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival) Conference. Over 100 guests were in attendance.

"At the brunch, it was exciting to see so many familiar faces from the past 12 years but it was the individual stories that made the event so memorable," said JoAnn Purcell, program coordinator. "I heard about the lifelong friendships formed (one leading to marriage and a baby), the career paths forged in illustration and other creative endeavours. One couple flew in from Vancouver! Some alumni who couldn't make it wrote to me of their successes as director of an art gallery, another with a new children's book and a couple others in game design.

As alumni were leaving the event, they asked when the next reunion event would be! In that moment I felt so grateful to lead this community of illustrators who got their start at Seneca."

The Boutique reopened its doors at Newnham Campus on Thursday, May 23rd. The reopening featured special discounts, a teacup 'pong' game to win 50 per cent off, and a gift with every purchase.

The Boutique is an experiential lab for students in Seneca’s Fashion Business and Fashion Business Management programs, and offers the latest fashions and accessories to students, faculty, staff, and the community. Each piece is carefully selected by student buyers, who study fashion trends, attend local trade shows, and visit vendor showrooms each season.

The Boutique will remain open until Thursday, June 13 at 4:00 p.m. Check out the store's hours here.

AdClub featured a profile of Rica Cabañog, a grad of the Creative Advertising program. The piece covers Rica’s sociology degrees from university in the Philippines, to the almost 14 years she spent winding her way meticulously through the ranks of Nestle’s marketing department. She then went on to conquer Canada’s marketing scene, where she won at the Canadian Colleges Marketing Competition and earned the Ad Club Scholarship.

A spontaneous, cost-saving trip to Stockholm to see Taylor Swift made Nadia Bedok the subject of a recent story on CTV National News. Nadia and her cousin made the last minute decision to fly to Stockholm on the Friday before the long weekend, made it just barely in time for the concert and flew back the next day. When tickets to shows in Canada and across the U.S. are near impossible to get, this has become the new solution for Nadia and many other Swifties.

Olivia Trivisonno is the Student Adviser for the School of Creative Arts and Animation, the School of Media, and the School of Marketing. She began working at Seneca in the Financial Aid Office part-time during her last year of university. This was the start of her career at Seneca. She has had various roles in the Financial Aid Office, and just over two years ago made the move to Student Advising. Now as a student adviser, Olivia supports students throughout their journey at Seneca, from start to finish. She can assist with program-specific questions, like program prerequisites and graduation requirements, academic status, grades, educational planning and referring students to the supports and services to help them succeed.

She spoke with Kurt about how much she enjoys her current role and why, her passion for fitness and Orangetheory, and her hidden talent. They also discussed her tight knit relationship with her family and what her perfect day looks like.

School of Marketing professor Dr. Esra Kilicarslan Toplu and School of Accounting and Financial Services professor Dr. John Toplu have co-authored a book chapter titled "Empowering Students, Fostering Innovation: The Innovation Center at Seneca Polytechnic". It's featured in the book, Empowering Students and Elevating Universities With Innovation Centers. The book is published by IGI Global, which has collaborated with thousands of researchers from top-tier institutions around the world for over 30 years.

In their chapter, Dr. Esra and Dr. John mentioned the transformative potential of innovation hubs within higher education institutions, with a specific focus on Seneca Polytechnic's Innovation Centre and HELIX, an innovation and entrepreneurship incubator. The chapter highlights the importance of collaborations between academia, industry, and government. Seneca Polytechnic's commitment to preparing students for the dynamic job market of tomorrow is exemplified through HELIX, providing a nurturing environment for innovation, entrepreneurship, and experiential learning. They demonstrate how innovation centres like HELIX enhance student engagement, facilitate industry-academic partnerships, and elevate teaching and learning experiences.

The "Education Technology Insights” magazine just named Seneca professor Ken Wong’s Presentria project as one of the “Top 10 Student Engagement Solutions Providers in Canada - 2024”. They announced the award on their website and put together a profile about Presentria.

This article will also be featured in the forthcoming special print edition on Student Engagement 2024. According to the magazine, they have 89,000 qualified subscribers in Canada.