AI and Beyond: Novel Approaches to Investigate and Monitor Unhealthy Food Marketing to Children on Digital Media
Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Time: 13:00 - 14:00 ET (1:00pm - 2:00pm ET)
REGISTER HERE
Speakers:
Dana Olstad, PhD, RD (University of Calgary) and pencer Fietz, BHsc (University of Calgary)
Webinar description:
Whereas industry has leveraged AI to market unhealthy food and brands to children on digital media in covert ways, researchers continue to manually assess these AI-enabled tactics. To address these gaps, Dr. Olstad and her team are developing an AI system that collects large volumes of food marketing on digital media and automates analyses of the data, including extracting marketing features to determine whether unhealthy foods are featured, and classifying the types of marketing strategies present to determine whether marketing instances target children. During this webinar attendees will learn about this AI system and how Dr. Olstad and her team have applied it to analyze unhealthy food marketing to children on YouTube and Tik Tok.
Learning Objectives:
This webinar will provide participants with information on the following topics:
- An overview of new state-of-the-art methods to assess food marketing to children on digital media
- Case examples of the use of new state-of-the-art methods to monitor food marketing to children on YouTube and Tik Tok
Moderator: To be confirmed
About the Speakers:
Dr. Dana Olstad is a Registered Dietitian and an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. She is recognized for expertise in the role of policy in reducing socioeconomic inequities in diet quality and health. Dr. Olstad and her team have also been at the forefront of leveraging AI to monitor unhealthy food marketing to children in Canada and internationally.
Spencer Fietz is a researcher and developer with a focus on leveraging emerging technologies to solve complex public health issues. Currently in the Masters in Medicine, Cardiovascular and Respiratory Science program at the University of Calgary, his work examines how data-driven systems can enhance our ability to monitor, understand, and respond to factors influencing health behaviours and outcomes. His research combines technical innovation with a commitment to equity and health promotion, aiming to create ways for technology to strengthen health systems and better support the communities they serve.
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