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                                     October 2026                              
       
       Greek-Canadian executive helps steer Montreal's push into
       mining artificial intelligence
       
 (GIF) article photo
       
       By Dimitri Papadopoulos
       
       
       Inside the glass-walled offices of KPI Digital in the Technoparc of
       Ville Saint-Laurent, staff set aside their morning work on October 14
       and gathered among the bookshelves, keepsakes and family photographs of
       their workplace as Emmanuella Lambropoulos, Member of Parliament for
       Saint-Laurent, read a federal announcement to the assembled team. The
       quiet attention in the room reflected the scale of what was at stake,
       from Canada's national ambitions in artificial intelligence to the rise
       of a Montreal firm whose software now guides some of the largest mining
       operations in the world, and to the enduring question of what the
       technology will mean for workers and businesses.
       
       Lambropoulos used the visit to highlight repayable contributions
       totalling $300,000 awarded to KPI Digital and AI4Eyes under the Regional
       Artificial Intelligence Initiative, delivered by Canada Economic
       Development for Quebec Regions. KPI Digital, a consulting firm with 25
       years of expertise in data, analytics and artificial intelligence,
       receives $200,000 to carry out an international marketing strategy for
       its KPI Mining division, which has developed software that helps mining
       companies improve their operational performance. AI4Eyes, which has
       designed a platform for ocular diagnosis and treatment recommendations,
       receives $100,000 to expand its sales on export markets.
       
       "Whether it be to improve the performance of mining operations or to
       place AI at the service of visual health, the projects funded today are
       a testament to the talent, expertise and entrepreneurial spirit that
       power our city," Lambropoulos said.
       
       The announcement came one day after the Honourable Evan Solomon,
       Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, confirmed
       a $500-million increase over five years for the initiative, bringing
       its total funding to $700 million nationwide. "The Regional
       Artificial Intelligence Initiative is AI for All in action,
       accelerating responsible AI adoption, helping Canadian innovators
       bring their technologies to market and scale globally, and
       strengthening the regional ecosystems that turn innovation into
       economic growth," Solomon said.
       
       For the Greek-Canadian community, the morning carried a double measure
       of pride. The announcement was delivered by Lambropoulos, herself a
       daughter of the community, and inside the firm a Greek-Canadian
       executive is helping guide the company's expansion into one of the
       world's most demanding industries. Dimitra Kostarides, vice-president
       of people and culture at KPI Digital, spoke to The Montreal Greek
       Times in Greek about how the firm applies the technology and what the
       new support will make possible. "Here at KPI Mining and KPI Digital we
       certainly use artificial intelligence to help our clients, and also in
       our own project at KPI Mining, so that we can do things more
       properly," she said. "I know many people worry that it will change our
       way of life and change businesses as well. Here we protect our staff
       and we protect our clients."
       
       She described a philosophy that places people at the centre of the
       technology. "Working smarter, not harder, is a good phrase," she said.
       "It helps us operate at a pace we could never have imagined. But we need
       people to run it in an intelligent and beautiful way."
       
       Kostarides said KPI Mining, launched five years ago, has grown from two
       employees to 25, building through a collaboration with McGill University
       a software product now sold to some of the largest mining companies in
       the world, with partners in 10 countries. "We have created jobs
       precisely where people worried that jobs would be lost," she said. "The
       government has been a very good partner for us. It supported us
       financially, and today we also spoke with Ms. Lambropoulos about further
       opportunities. Now that the government has announced all these
       significant investments, we will be able once again to move forward and
       to help both our firm and our clients."
       
       The funding for the two Saint-Laurent projects was first announced on
       July 15, 2026, in Trois-Rivières. The Regional Artificial Intelligence
       Initiative is being implemented by Canada Economic Development for
       Quebec Regions in Quebec until March 31, 2031.
       
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