News
March 30, 2026
IVADO Unveils its 2025-2030 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan for More Responsible and Equitable AI
Montreal, March 30, 2026 – IVADO unveils its 2025–2030 EDI Action Plan, an ambitious initiative that places equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) at the core of its commitment to artificial intelligence (AI). This milestone underscores the Consortium IVADO’s determination to build robust, reasoning, and responsible AI that reflects the richness of experiences, knowledge, and perspectives across its entire ecosystem.
“AI influences every aspect of our societies and is transforming the way we learn, work and innovate. For it to truly benefit everyone, responsible and equitable practices must be at the heart of its development, not peripheral. EDI is not a complement to our mission: it is its foundation,” says Mélanie Bosc, Deputy CEO of IVADO.
The EDI Action Plan structures IVADO’s efforts around five axes:
- Refine the methodology – Collect and analyze evidence-based data on the representation and experiences of underrepresented groups within the IVADO ecosystem.
- Expand and diversify the talent pool – Improve access for people from underrepresented groups to the opportunities AI has to offer.
- Strengthen inclusion – Develop an organizational culture that values the diversity of talents and perspectives.
- Integrate EDI into AI research – Promote fair and inclusive technologies and equip researchers to apply these principles to their work.
- Measure the impact – Define and track indicators to assess progress and continuously adjust strategies.
A collaborative approach
The plan is the result of a collaborative and rigorous process based on the principle “nothing for us without us.” It was co-designed with EDI specialists, community partners, and EDI advisors from IVADO’s five member universities: Université de Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal, HEC Montréal, Université Laval, and McGill University. It also draws on the work of the IVADO Research Cluster on Ethics, EDI, and Indigenous Engagement.
IVADO already supports several initiatives that reflect this vision. Among them, Technovation Montréal encourages girls and young women aged 8–25 to explore technology and AI, while the Devenirs partagés. Pratiques de l’IA project with the Galerie de l’Université de Montréal promotes research-creation based on EDI principles, bringing together artists and AI researchers to explore feminist, queer, and ecological critical approaches. Furthermore, in partnership with the Association des bibliothèques publiques du Québec (ABPQ), IVADO runs AI awareness workshops accessible to everyone, with no prerequisites, in public libraries across the province.
The 2025–2030 EDI Action Plan translates IVADO’s willingness to make inclusion and diversity drivers of AI innovation, in collaboration with its academic, industrial, and community partners.
