VICTORIA, BC – Ready or not, artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to reshape virtually every aspect of modern society in ways that are almost unimaginable to all but the most initiated – such as Brayden Everton, the Founder and CEO of Aiyarise Intelligence, someone who has been preparing for this revolution for decades. “AI existed 20 years ago, just not in the form people know it today. Philosophically, I’d say I was already preparing for this emergence even then,” Everton explained.
IAI is the capability of computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. For Everton the emergence of some form of artificial intelligence is a natural evolution of the technological revolution that has been taking place over the past few decades.
“I always had a passion for futurism, computer science and for the changing trends in technology that I saw around me. But I was working in construction at the time, not IT or some other computer-based business. I was a real ‘boots on the ground’ guy, operating heavy equipment in the Oil Sands, before going to business school to study management then moving on to project management and operations management in the construction sector,” he said.
Spearheading major construction projects across Alberta and British Columbia, from the Athabasca Oil Sands to multi-million-dollar construction projects on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, including for the Department of National Defence and Corrections Canada, he honed not only his management skills, but also his talents for precision and detail-oriented planning and delivery, as he explained: “Handling security systems in life and death situations, in places where we can’t afford to miss a spec.”
His role as an operations manager, devoted to creating the highest level of efficiency possible within an organization, coupled with his personal fascination with emerging technologies and how they can be adapted to the construction sector, made it all but inevitable that this dual passion would eventually lead to the birth of Aiyarise Intelligence.
“It all came from an understanding of where all of this technology converges, trends that I’d seen coming since I was 16,” Everton recalled. “I have a legitimate passion for this technology, seeing the trend develop over time and seeing it come into reality just as I’d anticipated. By 2014 I was the guy who couldn’t shut up about AI and how it was going to be the software engineering capable machine that was going to cause disruptions across the industry, beyond that, across the entire fabric of our economy.”
While he could clearly see where this new and expanding trend was going, Everton found himself frustrated that not all industry leaders shared his vision or his clarity about the changes AI would inevitably bring to contemporary society, whether it was prepared or not.
Brayden Everton, the Founder and CEO of Aiyarise Intelligence
“I have a legitimate passion for this technology, seeing the trend develop over time and seeing it come into reality just as I’d anticipated. I thought others would come to the same realization, but it became evident that other leaders, other professionals in their domains, just couldn’t see what I was seeing. So I decided it was absolutely necessary for me to start this company, and to start it with my daughter’s name (Aiya, with the ‘i’ added for “AI”) on it, so it would mean something about where we’re heading as a civilization, and that we have to do our part, passing the torch to those who come after.”
Working primarily with architecture, engineering and construction clients across Western Canada, Aiyarise Intelligence serves as the Owner’s Representative for AI, delivering three fundamental services: Literacy Training, Consulting Engagements and Advisory Services, depending on each organization’s requirements and needs. Literacy involves determining a client’s need for intelligent AI adoption and can include workshops, education and what Aiyarise calls ground-up AI literacy sessions – to build a shared language at every level of an organization. Consulting engagements involve a more project-based approach, where the Aiyarise team analyzes the client’s current state across operations, technology and daily workflows to help identify, assess, and adopt AI for the right areas for their business – “Proof-of-Value’ AI projects tailored solely to the needs of each individual organization.
Advisory services are the firm’s highest level of client interaction, where ongoing strategic partnerships are developed to provide continuous support in all areas of AI strategy, planning, navigation, and integration. This ensures their partners remain informed, relevant, and highly equipped with AI technology regardless of the business sector they occupy or the speed with which AI evolves.
Headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, and much like the virtual nature of AI itself, Aiyarise Intelligence operates without the need of a traditional bricks and mortar office, working fully remotely to provide training, advisory and consulting services to its expanding roster of clients. Now into its second year of operation, the company has experienced exceptional growth in that time.
“We began operations in October 2024 with some important networking. AI is a nebulous topic, but in time our business model became much more focused as the recognized need for this technology became more apparent,” he said.
Speaking with passion and conviction, Everton stressed the expanding role of AI in all aspects of business and society is only going to become more important in the months and years ahead.
“Adopting AI is mission-critical to any business. The solution and the objective will always be to find your intent and purpose, and if you need to, hire a strategic partner to help you define that,” he said. Creating client success in an AI powered world is at the heart of everything Aiyarise Intelligence does – as its Mission Statement states: “Govern AI so the organizations adopting it, and the generation inheriting it, both come out ahead.”
