Webinar Details
AI capabilities are advancing rapidly, and while this progress is exciting, key challenges remain before ESIA teams can fully realize the benefits: fragmented baseline data, complex regulatory frameworks, and monitoring and reporting workflows that are difficult to defend under scrutiny.
This IAIA26 webinar brings together perspectives from across the impact assessment ecosystem, including ESIA practice, digital environment, technology, project development, and the financing perspective to explore how AI is reshaping impact assessment in practical, credible, and decision-relevant ways.
The discussion will focus on:
1. What practitioners have learned from the recent “AI in impact assessment” wave
2. How teams can move beyond digital transformation toward better mitigation and design decisions
3. Why strong knowledge management is essential to make AI‑enabled processes repeatable and auditable
4. What “trustworthy AI” looks like in real ESIA workflows (human‑in‑the‑loop, transparency, QA and credibility)
Drawing on WSP’s experience, including insights from Nature Vista as an illustrative digital workflow, the session will highlight practical, defensible approaches that support better decisions across projects, portfolios, and stakeholders.
Moderator:
André-Martin Bouchard – Global Director, Earth & Environment and Global Executive Director, ESG at WSP
Panelists:
Catherine Gentile – Environment Project Director at WSP
Shawn Allan – Global VP – Digital Strategy at WSP
Matthew Rodin – Cloud & AI Specialist at Microsoft
Jill Baker – Regulatory Lead at Energy Alberta
Luca Marini – Senior Environmental and Social Development Specialist at MIGA – World Bank Group
