“Why is artificial intelligence ahead of human intelligence on this one?”
That line got a laugh from the audience at Tuesday night’s Founders & Physicists event, hosted at Communitech, where founders, tech talent and researchers packed the room to share food and big ideas about the future.
It came after a question about whether OpenAI might ever consider opening an office in Waterloo Region. Host Nabil G. Fahel shared that he’d asked ChatGPT the question, and it said yes.
Fahel, a longtime startup mentor and Communitech’s new VP of Community Activation, sat down with Sulman Choudhry, Head of Engineering for ChatGPT at OpenAI and Raphaël de Thoury, CEO of quantum computing company Pasqal Canada.
They talked about the future of AI, the promise of quantum computing and what makes Waterloo Region a community where ambitious founders still choose to build.
Engineering the AI assistant of the future
If ChatGPT is the internet’s favourite co-worker, Choudhry is one of the people making sure it actually shows up for work.
As Head of Engineering for ChatGPT at OpenAI, Choudhry leads the team responsible for building and scaling the product that hundreds of millions of people now rely on, from students and software developers to startups and Fortune 500 companies.
Choudhry joined OpenAI in May 2024 after several years at Meta, where he led engineering for some of Instagram’s most defining features, including Stories and Reels.
He described ChatGPT’s early days as a “low-key research preview” that no one expected to explode. Today, his team is focused on building AI that acts as a proactive assistant that can understand your goals, work in the background and give you back more time.
The challenge, he said, is scaling responsibly; balancing research with engineering demands while preserving the spirit of experimentation.
Laptop to quantum leap
If AI is rewriting the present, quantum computing will transform the decades ahead.
de Thoury knows what that journey looks like. He moved from France to lead Pasqal’s Canadian operations, establishing its presence in Sherbrooke’s Quantum Innovation Zone.
Pasqal is the largest quantum company in Quebec, operating a facility dedicated to building neutral-atom quantum processors. Its technology delivers practical quantum advantage for challenges in energy, mobility, finance and materials science.
He told founders to go where the tools and talent are, reminding them that without a good lab, it’s tough to build anything, and Canada has some great ones.
Where founders find their people
For Fahel, the evening was about even more than AI and quantum. It was about the people behind the breakthroughs.
Waterloo Region’s edge has always been its combination of deep research, startup grit and a community that shows up for one another. It’s the same energy that keeps global founders coming back to invest their time and find their people.
The panel didn’t shy away from the challenges. Canada’s tech hubs still struggle to keep tech talent and give startups enough access to the resources and support they need to compete globally.
But Choudhry sees a flywheel starting to spin. He said OpenAI is hiring more grads and interns, many from Waterloo Region. Experienced leaders are stepping up to mentor. Founders are building new companies. Once that momentum builds, he said, it feeds itself.
Help the flywheel spin faster …
The next generation of breakthroughs needs both community and tech to succeed.
If you work in tech, this is your moment and your community. Show up. Share what you know. Mentor someone just starting out. Help the next tech company start, scale and stay here. Connect with the community today.