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Dr. Peter Lewis, Canada Research Chair in Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence, Ontario Tech University.
Dr. Peter Lewis, Canada Research Chair in Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence, Ontario Tech University.

Trust is essential to how society functions. It enables people to rely on one another, participate in communities and institutions, and make decisions in the presence of uncertainty and risk.

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into everyday life presents a new challenge: increasingly, people are being asked to trust AI systems, even though the technology’s behaviour can’t always be fully understood, verified or predicted. How can humans be empowered to make good trust decisions about AI?

Ontario Tech University researcher Dr. Peter Lewis is the Tier-2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI). Aligned with the university’s tech with a conscience ethos, his research explores the intersection of AI and society. He draws upon insights from computer science, psychology, sociology and ethics to examine how intelligent systems interact with people and communities, and how those interactions influence people’s decisions to trust those systems.

For his outstanding record of research achievement and discovery, the Government of Canada has renewed the Ontario Tech Faculty of Business and Information Technology researcher’s CRC appointment, valued at $500,000, for a new five-year term. Dr. Lewis is one of five researchers at Ontario Tech recognized by the CRC program as leading national experts in their respective disciplines.

First-term achievements

Since joining Ontario Tech as a CRC in 2021, Dr. Lewis has established a world-leading research program that provides foundational knowledge on trust, trustworthiness and social intelligence in AI, while maintaining a strong focus on accessibility, fairness and the needs of equity-deserving groups.

During his first CRC term, he founded Ontario Tech's Trustworthy AI Lab and led the creation of the Mindful AI Research Institute (MAIRI), strengthening the university's capacity for interdisciplinary AI research and collaboration.

He secured approximately $2.5 million in research funding, trained 21 highly qualified personnel, and produced 24 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals and premier international research venues. He has emerged as a leading voice in national and international discussions on AI policy, governance and trust, sharing his expertise through opportunities such as invited testimony to the Canadian Parliament and keynote presentations at international forums including the Digital Trust Convention in Paris.

Dr. Lewis established collaborations with industry, non-profit, government and community partners, including the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, The Pamoja Institute and Meta. Through these partnerships, his research helped inform the new federal standard on accessible and equitable AI (a world-first), which branches of government and industry are already working to implement. His work also supported efforts to identify bias and promote fairness in AI models used in mental health care, and contributed to the development of AI-powered tools designed to strengthen community connections and address food insecurity.

2026-2031 research objectives

For his second CRC term, Dr. Lewis will build upon this foundation by focusing on three interconnected themes:

  • Trust empowerment: Supporting people in making trust decisions about AI systems through clearer information about what AI can do, where it may fail, and under what conditions it can be relied upon.
  • Reflective AI: The ability of AI systems to self-assess in order to understand their own capabilities, limitations and the potential consequences of their actions, and how that should influence their decisions and behaviour.
  • Social intelligence: How changing social contexts and learned norms can influence an AI system's decisions, helping it choose actions that are appropriate for the situation and the people involved.

The research will advance AI systems that can adapt to social contexts, communicate more effectively about uncertainty, and contribute to positive outcomes for individuals and communities.

Quotes

"To make good trust decisions, we need to move beyond asking whether AI works and understand where its limitations lie and what risks may arise when people rely on it. We need evidence, transparency and honest conversations about failures and uncertainty so people can make informed decisions about when and how these technologies should be used."
– Dr. Peter Lewis, Ontario Tech University's Canada Research Chair in Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence

"Ontario Tech University is proud of the record of research achievement and innovation demonstrated by our Canada Research Chairs, whose work contributes to Canada's research capacity and advances knowledge that strengthens our national sovereignty and economy. Dr. Lewis is a leader in trustworthy artificial intelligence, helping to deepen our understanding of how people and intelligent automated systems interact. I look forward to seeing up close the impact of his research on such an area of national and global importance over the next five years."
– Dr. Les Jacobs, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Ontario Tech University

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Media contact

Patricia Pickett
Communications and Marketing
Ontario Tech University
905.809.1675
patricia.pickett@ontariotechu.ca

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