AI Ireland with Mark Kelly

Today’s guest is Frankie Bates, CEO and Co-Founder at Prodensus. In the podcast, Frankie delves deep into the birth of his groundbreaking company, Prodensus, highlighting the innovative strides and the challenges of operating within the freight industry.Topics include:0:00 How a frustration with data inefficiency led to founding Prodensus2:08 Why data accuracy is critical as freight data errors cost millions3:03 Automating logistics data to reduce cost and gain insights4:15 How their AI pivot was validated by winning at the  National Startup Awards5:23 Adapting quickly and empowering a tech-passionate team7:02 Using algorithms to categorise, clean and analyse ambiguous freight data8:32 How the Microsoft's founders program provided unexpected value beyond cloud services9:37 Global supply chain disruptions highlight the need for data-driven optionality

Today's guest is Marie Toft, Founder and CEO at Emotionise. In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, emotions and technology might seem like disparate concepts. However, today’s guest Marie, with her unique background and visionary approach, has seamlessly intertwined these elements to create a groundbreaking AI model. Her journey is a testament to the power of emotional intelligence in tech innovation.Topics include:Today's guest is Marie Toft, Founder and CEO at Emotionise. In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, emotions and technology might seem like disparate concepts. However, today’s guest Marie, with her unique background and visionary approach, has seamlessly intertwined these elements to create a groundbreaking AI model. Her journey is a testament to the power of emotional intelligence in tech innovation.Topics include:0:00 Her journey from broadcasting to building an emotionally intelligent AI startup3:14 How the pandemic pivot sparked a bold AI startup despite scepticism5:14 EIMEAR, their emotionally intelligent AI with proprietary training data7:43 Building a rare, valuable emotional intelligence dataset from scratch8:50 How only 30% passed their emotional intelligence writing test10:48 Leveraging Microsoft credits as an early OpenAI adopter14:51 How education and communication are key to overcome fear of AI16:58 How AI impacts all aspects of life, requires change management

Today's guest is Patricia Scanlon, Founder, Chair of Ireland's AI Council & Ireland's AI Ambassador. In a thought-provoking discussion, Patricia delves into the transformative impact of AI on education, business, and society. Her conversation explores the journey of innovation, the challenges of early adoption and the ethical implications of AI technology.Topics include:0:00 How her previous work in ethical voice AI transformed education industry standards5:11 The AI Ambassador role has evolved from awareness to expert-led collaboration7:15 Being fascinated by AI's societal impact and inner workings7:58 AI progress is shockingly fast and unpredictable9:29 Why AI is overhyped in valuations but underhyped in business integration12:50 The importance of AI literacy and role of tools like ChatGPT to learn16:08 Advice to hire AI-savvy employees or those willing to learn AI

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology and innovation, the journey of entrepreneurship is often fraught with challenges, discoveries, and milestones. Dermot Casey, a seasoned entrepreneur and innovation advocate, provides an insightful narrative about his experiences and the transformative role of technology in today's world.Topics include:0:00 His journey from From rural Ireland to AI pioneer2:23 Building Storyful from startup to acquisition in four years7:23 His experience with NDRC supporting early-stage tech companies10:22 Know when to quit and how persistence can sometimes cause harm12:38 Success is about relationships and everyone is figuring it out14:35 How Ireland excels in innovation but needs greater investment and vision21:24 Why Ireland should encourage entrepreneurship through education, collaboration and investment25:04 Workshops teach AI for productivity, creativity and data analysis28:49 Using AI to analyze proprietary data improves decision-making and innovation32:27 Applying AI to analyze reviews, solve problems, and enhance productivity34:12 Advice to solve a significant problem, keep it simple and use authentic marketing

Today's guest is Annie Pearl, CVP and GM of Azure Experiences and Ecosystems at Microsoft. As technology continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, artificial intelligence remains at the forefront of innovation for startups and large corporations alike. In this podcast, Annie delves into the rapidly transforming landscape of AI startups and the opportunities and challenges they present.Topics include:0:00 Startups prioritising responsible, integrated AI for rapid growth3:52 Why enterprises race to adopt AI responsibly through startups5:19 How Microsoft supports startups with tech, funding and enterprise matchmaking8:06 The role of Copilot driving major time & cost savings across enterprises9:46 Utilising AI tools boost employee satisfaction, retention and creativity10:22 Advice to start small with AI or go advanced - just start now11:17 Why AI in healthcare is exciting due to time savings & impact

Today's guest is Rudi O'Reilly Meehan, Founder and Director at Data&Design. In today's fast-evolving technological landscape, the importance of data visualisation cannot be overstated. As a pioneer in the field and founder of Data and Design. Rudi's journey exemplifies how data visualisation can reshape industries, improve accessibility and encourage innovation.Topics include:0:00 Starting Data&Design to bring data to life through visualisations3:17 Partnering with Dublin City Council to visualize tourism data6:17 Balancing AI chat and UX for fun, intuitive planning8:49 His aim to educate on AI search, balance accuracy and randomness11:53 Exploring playful, visual AI interfaces beyond chatbots, especially for kids14:31 Promoting data storytelling, education and community engagement

Today's guest is Martin Curley, Digital Health Leader and Professor of Innovation at Maynooth University. In the episode, Martin delves into the pressing need for digital transformation in healthcare, elaborating on how delays in diagnosis can significantly increase mortality risks. He offers his insights spanning experience from electronic engineering and executive roles at Intel and MasterCard, where he harnessed technology for profit with purpose.Topics include:0:00 His journey to driving digital health innovation through collaboration4:39 Learning from top innovators to shape his leadership approach7:03 Overcoming resistance and driving healthcare innovation10:00 How AI accelerates diagnoses, improves care and saves lives16:25 Revolutionising healthcare through automation, efficiency and accessibility20:47 Utilizing AI and mobile health tools to empower patients and doctors27:51 Adopting digital and telehealth solutions to boost healthcare efficiency and accessibility31:46 How Telehealth and AI improve healthcare outcomes, reduce costs and enhance experiences37:51 The need to reimagine and engineer health systems43:22 Why Martin is driven by purpose, progress, relationships and making a difference

Today's guest is Donal O'Shea, Chief Executive at Deciphex. Pathology is at the forefront of medical diagnostics, offering pivotal insights critical for patient treatment. Yet, in many parts of the world, there remains a stark shortage of pathologists, posing challenges to timely and accurate diagnoses. In this podcast, Donal shares his thrilling journey from academia to industry, where he has become a key player in utilising AI to enhance pathology services globally.Topics include:0:00 His journey from academia to corporate, pioneering digital pathology innovations5:03 How Pathology analyzes tissue samples to diagnose diseases and recommend treatments6:41 Why rising biopsy demand and fewer pathologists impact timely diagnoses10:03 AI aiding pathologists by integrating data, improving diagnostics and efficiency14:13 Facing challenges with data access, rarity and consent17:36 Why datasets in healthcare lack examples for certain endpoints, limiting synthesis19:18 Large AI models focus on high ROI applications, requiring specialized data21:12 The business focus on global scale, with a strong international network23:54 Focus on team-building, continuous growth and global commercialisation27:48 Improving global healthcare, reducing diagnostic wait times with AI

Today's guest is Brian Caulfield, Chair at Scale Ireland. The intersection of startups and venture capital is a terrain marked by trials and triumphs, a landscape well understood by industry veteran Brian Caulfield. In this podcast, Brian shares valuable reflections and advice on building resilient companies and navigating the venture capital landscape.Topics include:0:00 How Startups thrive on passion, teamwork, pressure and problem-solving3:35 Resilience is crucial; hire wisely, prioritize culture and take action quickly8:15 Successful founders impress; VC struggles with people and timing12:19 Winning deals, successful exits and strong founder relationships14:28 How trust, support and problem-solving define strong VC-founder relationships18:02 Why AI startups need proprietary data, strong execution and competitive moats22:37 Ireland needs better startup support, policy fixes and investment incentives28:04 The need to simplify investment schemes, boost clusters and attract venture capital31:45 Scaling requires strong equity incentives, sufficient funding and hiring top talent34:34 Importance of leadership changes, proven strategy and empathetic decisions

Today's guest is Sean Blanchfield, Chief Executive Officer at Jentic. Sean has emerged as a true trailblazer, navigating the challenges of innovation with unmatched resilience. In this podcast, Sean shares insights from his remarkable journey as a serial entrepreneur, shedding light on the invaluable lessons he's learned, the obstacles he's overcome and his excitement for the rapidly growing realms of AI and startups.Topics include:0:00 His journey in startups including founding Demonware and Jentic2:04 How Demonware pivoted repeatedly to perfect online gaming middleware7:01 Demonware's use of guerrilla marketing with party buses and T-shirts10:44 How AI disrupts software and betting on Jentic's future13:45 The role AI agents and how Jentic aims to impact AI infrastructure17:04 Focusing on AI agents, scaling and managing complex integrations at Jentic20:13 His advice to embrace AI, build with it and focus on authenticity22:53 The potential and challenges with Artificial General Intelligence