Curious Minds Festival

Whether we notice it or not, artificial intelligence is already part of our daily lives—recommending what to watch, helping screen job applications, curating our news feeds, and even assisting doctors with diagnoses. These systems are quietly shaping how we live, work and connect, becoming increasingly embedded in the routines of Canadians. As AI continues to evolve, how can we better understand the role it plays in our everyday decisions? What opportunities does it create? And what questions should we be asking about transparency, responsibility, and the future of human agency? Join leading experts as they explore how AI is reshaping life in Canada, and what we should all know as we navigate this rapidly changing landscape.

Panel curated by Brett Hendrie Director, Strategic Events at the Rotman School of Management

Moderator:

• Nora Young, Author, Journalist, Host & Creator of CBC's Spark

Speakers:

• Shingai Manjengwa, Senior Director, Education and Development, Talent & Ecosystem at Mila Institute

• Daniel Wigdor, Co-Founder and CEO of AXL and Professor, University of Toronto

Please note: Due to a personal emergency, John Weigelt (Microsoft Canada) will no longer be participating in this event.

Catch up on the week's news with this special live recording of Friday Focus podcast from Munk Debates, a weekly, half-hours masterclass on current events hosted by founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs Janice Stein, and chair of the Munk Debates Rudyard Griffiths.

Tim Wu—the preeminent scholar and former White House official who coined the phrase “net neutrality”—presents his latest book The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity. The story starts with the internet of the 1990s and 2000s that promised widespread wealth and democracy, only to create new economic classes and aid the spread of autocracy. As Wu explores the rise of platform power, detailing the risks and rewards of working within such systems, he frames our current moment with lessons from recent history—from generative AI and predictive social data to the antimonopoly and crypto movements—and envisions a future where technological advances can serve the greatest possible good. Concise and hopeful, The Age of Extraction offers consequential proposals for taking back control to achieve a better economic balance and prosperity for all.

Moderated by Vass Bednar, Managing Director of SHIELD.

CBC Crime Story’s Kathleen Goldhar interviews Forged host Adrian Stimson about what is believed to be the biggest art fraud in the world. The late Norval Morriseau, known as the “Picasso of the North,” is one of the most celebrated Indigenous artists in the world but, in recent years, his legacy has been undermined by a systemic and sordid scheme to manufacture fakes. Stimson, an artist from the Siksika Nation, follows a tip from a rockstar art collector and pulls back the curtain on the origin of the Morrisseau fakes. Travelling from Thunder Bay to Australia’s Northern Territory, this riveting true crime story gets increasingly outrageous as it unravels, while never losing sight of the heart of the story—namely, Morrisseau’s staggering artistic genius. This is a conversation for true crime lovers, artist and anyone who cares about the legacy and future of Indigenous lives.

Video game design meets at the crossroads of art and technology, offering creators “the artistry of tech” with which to render their creative ideas and bring them to market for the masses. But how do Toronto-based video game designers strike a balance between the demands of the industry and the desire to stay true to individual artistic expression? Join us for a fresh exploration of Toronto’s robust video game world with some of the city’s boldest and brightest creators. Moderated by Victoria Kucher, executive director of Media Arts Network Ontario.

Speakers:

Navid Khavari, Narrative Director, Ubisoft

Lindsay Rollins, Writer, Programmer, and Character Artist, Rocket Adrift

Kaitlin Tremblay, Writer, Narrative Designer, Soft Rains

When Chef Masaki Saito became the first of Canada’s chefs to be accorded two Michelin stars, his humorous and brief acceptance speech concluded with "I'm still single. I don't know why." A deep-dive into Saito’s world, Still Single is an exploration of his groundbreaking approach to Omakase dining, revealing the intense lifestyle driving his culinary genius. But while the chef’s charisma makes this a delightfully entertaining behind-the-scenes look at a culinary superstar, its juxtaposition with his personal life poignantly highlights that loneliness may be the cost of excellence.

Includes an extended post-screening discussion with director Jamal Burger.

It's bird! It's a plane! It's DANGER EAGLE!

Award-winning author Jesse Wente joins us for a fun-filled reading of his new children's book Danger Eagle. This action-packed adventuring featuring a stunt-penguin stuffed animal will delight action movie fans young and old. Look forward to an interactive event with reading, pictures, activities, and fun for the whole family!

Moderated by writer and producer Falen Johnson.

Influential Canadian astrologer and activist Chani Nicholas will guide us through an interactive live birth chart reading of filmmaker, actor and producer Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, drawing on astrology, spirituality, and mindfulness in everyday life.

"[This] adventure-filled crowd-pleaser is both a vintage buddy movie and a celebration of human determination." - Variety

In the winter of 1999, Swiss explorer Bertrand Piccard and British flight instructor Brian Jones embark on an attempt to complete the last great aviation challenge of the 20th century – to circumnavigate the globe, nonstop in a hot-air balloon. Rival teams are lifting off across the world and the race is on to be the first to write their name in the history books. Working together, Piccard and Jones must overcome extreme weather conditions, survive potentially fatal technical failures and endure increasing mental and physical exhaustion if they want to make it.