AI Ireland with Mark Kelly

Today's guest is  Dr. Johann Issartel, CEO and Co-Founder at MoveAhead. In the episode, Johann shares insights into his passion-driven journey to improve physical literacy among children. MoveAhead, a company deeply rooted in academic and scientific research, aims to tackle the growing issue of sedentary lifestyles in young people by blending technology with physical education. Topics include: 00:00 Empowering kids with confidence through physical literacy 03:43 How deep science guides personalised assessments and active video games 05:18 Applying AI to personalise kids' movement education and development journey 07:34 How incremental progress builds confidence and prevents negative cycles in kids 09:11 Ensuring privacy while promoting active learning for kids 10:23 How startups they work with use apps to promote kids' active lifestyles 11:52 Using clean data and science to create effective, engaging tools 14:00 Targeting sports organizations and schools to boost kids' engagement 15:25 Developing customizable models for diverse needs 17:01 AI’s growth is becoming integral to daily life

Today's guest is Peter Fitzsimons, Senior Manager - Innovation and Data at Irish Life. The application of AI is proving to be a game-changer across various industries and at the forefront of this revolution in the insurance sector is Irish Life, who recently won the 2024 AI Award for Best Application of AI in Consumer/Customer Service. In the episode, Peter tells us more about Irish Life's winning AI application CARA and its impact on the customer experience. Topics include: 0:00 His journey from actuary turned AI leader with entrepreneurial experience 2:29 Driving AI innovation through collaboration and clear communication 4:14 How CARA accelerates claim payouts, prioritizing empathy and technology 5:36 Start with the "why" and how motivated change impacts Irish society 6:47 The need to understand processes, then use AI to automate and assist 7:59 Why LLMs excel at analyzing language, but user comfort is key 10:42 Reducing Claim acknowledgment time from nine to less than three days 11:39 How AI adds a fourth layer to enhance claim assessment insights 13:06 How AI will handle small tasks, improving claims processing and personalization 14:33 Advice to start with a clear purpose, learn by doing and evolve

Today's guest is Jeremiah Scully, Senior AI R&D Engineer at Moofwd. In the episode, Jeremiah explores how he is applying AI from academic research in solar physics to impactful applications in the tech and finance sectors. A finalist for the Young AI Role Model of the Year award at the 2024 AI Awards, Jeremiah shares his journey, insights, and the projects that bridge the gap between solar physics and business solutions. Topics include: 0:00 His background as an AI R&D engineer solving edtech and fintech challenges 4:28 His PhD on AI in solar physics with real-time solar weather detection 11:44 How solar storms disrupt GPS, power and how AI aids early detection 14:19 Why AI models remain consistent and data preparation drives adaptation 16:15 Why companies are hesitant about generative AI, especially regarding data privacy 18:26 How companies embracing AI finish projects faster 20:14 AI has become diverse, impacting marketing, sales and coding

Today's guests are Seshu Tirupathi, Research Scientist and Elizabeth Daly, STSM and Research Manager of the Interactive AI Group at IBM Research Ireland. In today’s episode, we are delving into fascinating world of AI and its application in cybersecurity, spotlighting IBM Research’s work as a finalist for Best Application of AI in a Large Enterprise at last month’s AI Awards. Topics include: 0:00 Interactive AI and incremental ML for risk classification 1:57 Challenges in continuous learning, dynamic updates, and explainability 2:51 Combining interpretable rules with incremental ML for adaptability 5:27 Integrating heuristic rules with ML for adaptability and transparency 6:29 How Explainable ML integrates user feedback to improve models 8:21 Being inspired by IBM collaboration, project bridges AI and stakeholder feedback 9:41 How integrating feedback improves ML accuracy and client satisfaction 10:40 How transparency in AI balances vulnerability risks with improved oversight 13:13 Why dynamic models are essential for evolving data and systems

Today's guest is Mahak Jhamb, Europe AI and Innovation Leader at Mercer. Understanding how businesses can effectively incorporate AI into their strategies is crucial and in this podcast, Mahak shares her perspectives on how AI can drive business transformation, drawing from her experiences at Mercer. Topics include: 0:00 Her evolving role from education, innovation, productivity & strategy 2:39 How secure AI enhances productivity, trust and efficiency 4:46 Focus on efficiency, new revenue and AI comfort 7:53 How AI centralizes content, enhances organization and reshapes roles 10:28 Having executive support and enthusiasm to drive AI adoption 12:18 Why data and benchmarking will define future organizational value 14:40 Key consulting skills focus on filtering vast data effectively

Today’s guest is Deepak John Reji, Senior Data Scientist, and associated with University of Limerick. Discussing Deepak’s AI Awards 2024 nomination in the Best Use of Responsible AI an Ethics category, this episode centres around the challenges and opportunities in creating safe and responsible large language models (LLMs) that strive to reduce bias and bolster ethical AI practices. Topics include: 0:00 Mitigating bias in AI through fine-tuned LLMs 5:23 Challenges in curating unbiased data and training models 8:39 How bias perception varies by context, demographics and culture 11:29 How diverse annotators ensured culturally representative bias assessments 12:53 Enabling scalable, domain-specific LLM solutions through Instruction-led fine-tuning 15:21 Focus on responsible AI, integrating ethics and cognitive science

Today's guest is Jennifer Geraghty Ryan, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft Ireland. As AI agents emerge as some of the most exciting innovations, Jennifer – who was an AI Person of the Year finalist at the 2024 AI Awards - delves into her journey and the groundbreaking work that her team is doing with AI agents and Copilot Studio. Topics include: 0:00 Building AI agents to empower customer success teams 3:18 Empowering global impact through Microsoft's Copilot Studio platform 4:42 Aligning generative AI with customer priorities for impact 8:15 How GPT exceeded expectations in due diligence automation tasks 10:05 Ensuring transparency and citations for AI-driven agent actions 11:45 Why AI's non-deterministic nature complicates traditional software testing methods 13:37 How AI agents will transform workflows into dynamic, multimodal interfaces 16:11 Humans will manage agents, overseeing tasks and escalation

Today’s guest is Alan Smeaton, Professor of Computing at Dublin City University. and a member of the government’s AI Advisory Council. In this episode, Alan chats with host Mark Kelly about the evolution of Artificial Intelligence, its current applications in education and energy, and its future potential. Topics include: 0:00 His experience integrating AI research, teaching and applications 2:14 How Generative AI supports both traditional and self-directed learning 5:59 How Multiple LLMs address biases through collaboration and diversity 9:11 Being cautious about agentic AI systems; logic processing underdeveloped 12:09 Using smart meters to track energy use & enable personalized tariff comparisons 17:20 Why AI’s future may face a reckoning, favouring diversity over monopoly 20:10 The AI landscape is unpredictable, with new players and growing regulation.

Today’s guests are Muiris O’Dwyer, CEO and Co-Founder and Aidan Connolly, Co-Founder and Director of Technology at EcoEasi. EcoEasi leverages AI to simplify supply chain ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting for mid-sized companies and their SME suppliers. They have been selected as a finalist for Best Application of Sustainability for the 2024 AI Awards, highlighting its innovative approach to democratising ESG reporting through AI. Topics include: 0:00 Applying AI to simplify ESG reporting for SMEs and corporates 7:38 Using Oracle AI to pre-populate accurate SME reporting data 9:23 Simplifying complex SME reporting for SMEs efficiently 10:46 Ensuring data accuracy with anomaly detection 12:56 Simplifying ESG reporting for SMEs with robust accuracy 15:38 Staying updated on models by tracking partnerships and reliability 17:35 Challenges of trust in responses and data security 19:25 Staying updated on innovations to drive real-time ESG reporting

Today's guest is Ronan Geraghty, Subsidiary COO at Microsoft Ireland. , who are principal sponsors for next week's sixth annual AI Awards. In the episode, Ronan explores the monumental strides in technology and innovation taking place at Microsoft, as he delves into the transformative impact of AI initiatives, the expanding role of Microsoft in Ireland, and what's next for AI and its applications. Topics include: 0:00 Recent announcement of 550 new engineering jobs in Ireland 2:21 His role to drives strategy, AI and cloud innovation 3:33 How their foresight in AI investments drives industry leadership 4:51 How AI's rapid evolution fuels endless possibilities and innovation 6:43 Microsoft's role in showcasing real-world AI applications 9:36 Shifting from experimentation to scalable business transformation 12:02 How AI drives tangible business impact through optimized processes 13:46 Why AI success hinges on clear goals, leadership and adaptability 16:32 Leveraging Copilot as a coachable virtual teammate to optimize tasks 18:48 Enhancing skills, enabling creativity, productivity and personal growth with AI 20:54 Why security is the top priority, ensuring trust and safeguarding data 22:06 How AI is evolving to enhance collaboration and automate tasks