A technology project that uses artificial intelligence to manage event-generated waste will soon be underway at Palais des congrès de Montréal.
The international convention centre is collaborating with Polytechnique Montréal to integrate the system into its operations during the 2025 winter season.
A group of four undergraduate students in software engineering will design an intelligent system capable of identifying, characterizing and quantifying waste produced during each event. This process will provide the Palais with precise data on the environmental impact of the events it hosts. Each student will devote 270 hours to this project, for a total of 1,080 hours of work.
Through data collection, the Palais hopes to acquire a better understanding of event-related consumption habits and waste production. The ultimate goal is to develop customized strategies for each type of event to reduce waste production and promote more sustainable alternatives.
Spearheading the project is IVADO, an interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral research and knowledge mobilization consortium dedicated to advancing AI. IVADO is led by Université de Montréal and its four post-secondary partners: Polytechnique Montréal, HEC Montréal, Université Laval, and McGill University.
“This is a fabulous opportunity for our public organization to implement and benefit from an integrated AI system in our operational processes,” said Simon Harris, director of innovation and business intelligence at the Palais. “This project reflects our desire to improve our productivity through artificial intelligence, while optimizing the efficiency and precision of our services. The future of our organization rests on technological innovation and this project marks a key step in this digital transformation.”
This project is also builds on successful collaborations between the Palais and Polytechnique Montréal, in particular under a program led by Mitacs. The conference centre is developing other AI applications, such as a computer vision system to evaluate room occupation and management, and a performance optimization tool to gradually automate certain administrative tasks.
