Our Approach
We bring world-class research and real-world business together—and rewrite the traditional conference playbook while we’re at it!
No endless tradeshow booths. No cramped halls. No overhyped keynotes.
We bring the AI community together by putting people and values first and championing a relentlessly optimistic vision: to unleash the potential of AI for people and society.
The Upper Bound Difference
Curated Connections
We believe great conversations start with the right people. We hand-pick and personally invite every speaker from across academic, business, talent, and startup communities—bringing people together who might not otherwise share the same room.
Find Your Tune
Put your headphones on and choose your own adventure. It’s a more immersive way to experience AI and tune into what matters most.
Made in Edmonton
Inspired by the iconic Edmonton Fringe Festival, we work with local artists to reinvent the Upper Bound experience and give it a fresh creative theme every year. No two Upper Bounds look quite the same!
Meet Tomorrow’s AI Talent
We don’t just advance AI - we prepare the people who will. Through our global bursary program, we fly exceptional students to Edmonton and connect them with top researchers and employers at our Career Fair, actively building the next generation of AI talent.
All Hands, All Heart
From registration desks to facilitating hands-on workshops, the entire Amii team trades our regular desks for the floor. We live it, breathe it, and thrive in the Upper Bound energy!
Beyond the Stage
The impact doesn't end on stage. We link Upper Bound’s energy directly to K-12 classrooms, startups, and corporate boardrooms, turning event momentum into year-round AI adoption across Canada.
“For AI to be a force for good and accessible to all, it cannot remain behind the closed doors of big tech or elite universities. It must be democratized through professional development, peer collaboration across all fields, widespread literacy and training, and real-world adoption.”
Stephanie Enders
Chief Delivery Officer, Amii
Our philosophy
Our core philosophy is rooted in the humility of the research community: we hold an optimistic view of AI but approach it with healthy skepticism and profound respect. We fundamentally believe that AI is a thing that humans make, and its future depends on intentional, thoughtful conversation.
This belief evolved into Upper Bound. The entire four-day experience is built fully in-house and is for everyone, regardless of their technical scope.
Our purpose
To bring the brightest people to Edmonton to shape an optimistic future of AI for a better world—a future guided by our values of being Approachable, Authentic, and Ambitious.
Our vision
1. The Radical Integration of the AI Stack
Bridging the gap between the lab and the real world.
We put researchers, investors, educators, founders, CEOs, and ethicists in the same room. That’s how we break silos, build a shared understanding of AI, and discuss what comes next.
2. The Nation’s AI Literacy Engine
Architecting the world’s most AI-literate generation.
We’re building the blueprint to make Canada a place where AI talent stays, builds, and drives the next wave of productivity.
3. Economic Resilience & Canadian IP
Championing the domestic commercialization of Canadian AI.
We’re connecting Canadian breakthroughs to capital, industry, and scale—with a venture community representing $17B in assets under management ready to back what comes next.
Go behind the scenes
Meet the heartbeat of Upper Bound
We built Upper Bound to be as human as the community it brings together—designed, delivered, and powered by the humans at Amii. Every single Amii team member—from staff scientists and delivery teams to executive leadership—is on the ground. No one’s sitting this one out!
It’s messy. It’s stressful. It’s exciting. And that’s the point.
Get a glimpse of the beautiful, high-stakes human effort required to host a conversation about the optimistic future of AI.
Watch the video:
Upper Bound is Powered by Amii
At Amii, our mission is AI for Good and for All. That starts with the belief that AI shouldn’t be shaped by researchers alone. It takes businesses, startups, educators, policymakers, talent, and curious minds coming together to ask better questions, challenge ideas, and imagine what AI can do for good.
Upper Bound was born from that belief. Built entirely by Amii, it brings the AI ecosystem into one room for four days of ideas, conversations, connections, and a shared optimism about what comes next.
Learn more about Amii
The AI Institute behind Upper Bound