The Irish Tech News Podcast

The 2024 Dublin Tech Summit takes place tomorrow and Ronan spoke to Siobhan Human, Head of Programming and Marketing at Dublin Tech Summit to find out what we can expect this year. Siobhan talks about some of the speakers appearing at Dublin Tech Summit, space tech, AI and more. More about Dublin Tech Summit: Dublin Tech Summit is the most exciting tech festival in Europe. DTS brings together global leaders in innovation, technology and business to shape the future of trends and technologies. Taking place at the RDS on the 29th and 30th of May, this event brings together over 8,000 attendees and more than 200 influential speakers from all over the globe.   

What has changed and hasn’t changed in payments and marketing in the past two decades? What can we do to help more women become visible? In this episode of One Vision — FinTech Fuse! We chat with Kathryn Vazquez Kmiotek — Top 30 Influential Fintech Marketer — on the future of payments and true inclusion. Kathy’s advice? Own your voice and be the driver of your career; time is never given back.

Five years ago I interviewed Professor Horacio Gonzalez-Velez for the Irish Tech News podcast and of things we talked about was Ireland's First Cloud Competency Centre (CCC) in NCI. A dozen years after the founding of Ireland's First Cloud Competency Centre, the CCC hosted PDP24 https://pdp2024.org. Winning this prestigious conference and its international attendees for Ireland as well as contributing to/leading many pan-European research projects, including another First - for Ireland, and indeed for Europe - a master's programme in Open Data. I caught up with Professor Horacio González-Vélez the head of the cloud competency centre in NCI, to catch up on what has happened since we last spoke. Dr González-Vélez talks about how the CCC has changed over 12 years, crypto, Ai and more. More about Professor Horacio Gonzalez-Velez: Horacio González-Vélez is a Professor of Computer Systems and Founding Head of The Cloud Competency Centre at National College of Ireland. Under his guidance, the Centre has grown exponentially, from some 20 students and a single EU-funded project in 2012 to hundreds of students and multiple EU-funded research projects underpinned by a capable team of professionals by 2023.  His research has consistently sought to bridge the gap between data-intensive computational problems and their discrete patterns of computation and communication. He has harnessed his diverse background to engage with stakeholders of all backgrounds, skills, and genders, as he actively contributes to institutional committees, European working groups, and research strategy development.

From connecting businesses to helping consumers manage their everyday spending, open banking has been in action for a while now. In this episode of One Vision — Fintech Fuse! Theo chats with Meaghan Johnson, Fintech and Bank Advisor, on the next iteration of finance and how it can deliver more value to the data-driven ecosystem. If our payments data can tell a story, how can we create a narrative that is more impactful and more relevant to our everyday lives? To anyone who thinks PFM is old news … hold your horses.

In this special edition of the Futurists, media expert Peter Csathy debates with Rob about copyright and generative AI. It’s a preview of their upcoming live debate at the Streaming Media summit in New York. Peter and Rob discuss the major issues in copyright, the most contentious lawsuits, and the most relevant precedents. If you are interested in the future of genAI for storytelling and entertainment, this episode is essential. Topics include: copyright lawsuits brought by the New York Times, Getty Images and artists; how recent rulings on fair use may affect these cases; the evolving definition of “copying” in the digital domain; why some precedents will matter more than others; why Big Tech is in hot water; and how copyright is a tax on future innovation. 

For decades, philosopher Nick Bostrom (director of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford) has led the conversation around technology and human experience (and grabbed the attention of the tech titans who are developing AI - Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Sam Altman). Now, a decade after his NY Times bestseller Superintelligence warned us of what could go wrong with AI development, he flips the script in his new book Deep Utopia: Life and Meaning in a Solved World (March 27), asking us to instead consider “What could go well?” Ronan recently spoke to Professor Nick Bostrom. Professor Bostrom talks about his background, his new book Deep Utopia Life and Meaning in a Solved World, why he thinks advanced AI systems could automate most human jobs and more. More about Nick Bostrom: Swedish-born philosopher Nick Bostrom was founder and director of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University. He is the most-cited professional philosopher in the world aged 50 or under and is the author of some 200 publications, including Anthropic Bias (2002), Global Catastrophic Risks (2008), Human Enhancement (2009), and Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies (2014), a New York Times bestseller.  With a background in theoretical physics, computational neuroscience, logic, and artificial intelligence, his work has pioneered some of the ideas that frame current thinking about humanity’s future (such as the concept of an existential risk, the simulation argument, the vulnerable world hypothesis, the unilateralist’s curse, etc.), while some of his recent work concerns the moral status of digital minds.His writings have been translated into more than 30 languages; he is a repeat main-stage TED speaker; and he has been interviewed more than 1,000 times by media outlets around the world. He has been on Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers list twice and was included in Prospect’s World Thinkers list, the youngest person in the top 15. As a graduate student he dabbled in stand-up comedy on the London circuit.

Have you ever looked back at your career path, and wondered out loud, what if? And if you could pursue anything, what would it be?  In this episode of One Vision podcast, Theo chats with Bhuva Shakti, fractional COO and board director, on her roles as angel investor, advisor, and digital transformation strategist. From economic inclusion and entrepreneurship to responsible innovation, the next chapter is still yet to be written. And as it turns out, in the age of AI where opportunities abound, sky is indeed the limit. It’s time to choose your own adventure. Remember the old adage: “You can be anything you want to be.” 

In this week's show returning guest Shelly Palmer (CNBC, CNN, Fox5) dives with Rob and Brett into what it will take for corporations to stay relevant in the AI-age. This is a wide ranging discussion on the way AI-based commerce, agency and automation will disrupt many of our current industries and institutions. Not one to be missed! Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, and is a regular commentator on CNN and CNBC. Shelly is a prolific author. Along with his daily newsletter, his books include, the Amazon #1 Bestseller, Blockchain – Cryptocurrency, NFTs & Smart Contracts: An executive guide to the world of decentralized finance and Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV, the seminal book about the technological, economic, and sociological forces that have changing everything about the the business of television, Overcoming the Digital Divide: How to use Social Media and Digital Tools to Reinvent Yourself and Your Career, and Digital Wisdom: Thought Leadership for a Connected World.

Irish specialty coffee group, Coffeeangel, recently agreed a landmark deal with the Dunsany Estate in Co. Meath and Irish clean-tech company Bionua which will see it commit 5% of its profits over the next 5 years to buy biodiversity credits. This is the first time such a deal has been completed in Ireland and only the second time across Europe after Swedbank’s purchase of biodiversity credits in 2023. Ronan spoke to Karl Purdy, CEO of Coffeeangel & William Butterly, founder of Bionua. Karl and William talk about their backgrounds, how coffeangel and Bionua started, their landmark deal with the Dunsany Estate and more. More about the Coffeangel, Bionua and Dunsany estate landmark deal:  The first year of this deal with Coffeeangel will represent the removal and storage of a minimum of 80,000 kgs of harmful carbon from the atmosphere at Dunsany Nature Reserve, and the direct involvement in the protection and enhancement of its unique biodiversity habitat above and below ground which include some of Ireland’s most important flora and fauna.

In every work environment, from factories, hospitals, retail shops to elder care homes, the future workforce will include robots. Dr Harry Kloor, the founder and CEO of Beyond Imagination has blazed a trail toward building reliable, strong robots that can operate safely alongside human workers. Harry tells the Futurists how to design a robot for a variety of workplaces at an affordable price, and what type of artificial intelligence is best for autonomous robot workers. Harry also answers key questions: why insurability for robot co-workers is a challenge; how to create a friendly-looking robot;  the best places to put robots to work; why legless robots are superior;  robots for elder care; how hydraulic robots compare to electronic systems; and why it’s so difficult for a robot to open a bottle of soda.