The Irish Tech News Podcast

On June 27th, FOSI hosted its annual European Forum at the Google Safety Engineering Center in Dublin, Ireland. This event, titled “Regulating and Innovating Online Safety,” featured top representatives across industry, government, academia, and the charity sector as they debated the implications of current and pending global legislation, best practices surrounding AI, digital wellbeing, and more.  One of the speakers was Matt Soeth, Head of Trust & Safety at Spectrum Labs AI and I spoke to him. Matt Spoke to me about what he  did at TikTok, his panel discussion at FOSI, AI and more. More about Matt Soeth, Head of Trust & Safety at Spectrum Labs AI: Matt serves as Head of Trust & Safety at Spectrum Labs AI content moderation tech company Launched  #TSCollective with 700+ executives from leading tech cos addressing T&S issues. Advisor, All Tech is Human for Responsible Tech. Former member, Global Trust & Safety Team @ TikTok Co-Founder #ICANHELP where he worked to grow the vision and resources of the nonprofit. Co-creator of #Digital4Good, an annual event celebrating tech-savvy social impact youth. Former educator for 15 years supporting youth using tech, creating policy and resources for online safety in schools. 

AI researcher Monica Anderson guides the Futurists beyond first principles to the zeroth level of science, which is epistemology.  Monica argues that science suffers from a kind of cognitive dissonance, replying upon a reductionist approach instead of holistic principles. In this episode, Monica explains why: AI alignment is trivial; malevolent behavior must be intentionally programmed; all problem-solving methodologies break down into two categories; complex problems differ from complicated problems; small syntax models outperform large language models; AI may be more impartial than a jury in court; AI will be required for licensed professions; home-schooled AI will be trained on your home computer; and a lot more.

In this episode Dr. Efi Pylarinou talks to Rainy Gill, VP of Marketing at efinancialcareers about the inaugural 2023 report on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)A discussion on the essential strategies and key best practices outlined in the inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Report 2023, published incollaboration between eFinancialCareers and The Cee-Suite, a leadingdiversity equity and inclusion (DEI) consultancy.https://www.efinancialcareers.comRainy Gill https://www.linkedin.com/in/rainygill/ is the VP of Marketing at eFinancialCareers and is atraditionally trained marketer having graduated with both BA and Master’sdegree in Marketing. Rainy also holds over 20 years of marketing experiencewithin various industries including 14 years in the Financial Servicespublishing industry, where she was Head of Product Marketing for the FinancialRisk Management and Trading Technology division at Incisive Media. Rainy’srecent role saw her leading the European marketing function for the Consultingdivision of Kantar. Rainy is passionate about supporting diversity, equality and inclusionprograms. Dr. Efi Pylarinou is the No.1 Global Woman Influencer in Finance & the Data conversation by Refinitiv, a Top Thought Leader by Onalytica, and a Top Digital Futurist, Linkedin and Twitter Voice, by Engatica. A seasoned Wall Street professional & a recognized technology thought leader on innovation topics. Founder of Efi Pylarinou Advisory servicing Big Tech, Financial Services and Fintech clients. She strongly believes in building bridges between the old and the new economy. She shares her passion of content creation with her 190,000+ followers on Linkedin and 18,000+ on Twitter.  Join her on the social platforms https://linktr.ee/Efiglobal

What is the responsibility of the financial services industry — and as a society — when it comes to sustainability? With almost $40 trillion in assets under management, is sustainable investing truly as green as we are led to believe?  In this episode of One Vision, Theo chats with Hannah Duncan — the candid and powerful blogger of the year — on green gap and using technology for good. We are not all powerless, and we can do something to help change the trajectory of the future of the planet. After all, what’s more important than safeguarding our home? It’s beyond time to re-calibrate our risks and be the voice of the voiceless. It is our collective responsibility.

EY Ireland recently announced the launch of its Managed Cyber Security Service, specifically tailored to support Irish SMEs and other businesses to defend against cyber security threats and attacks. The new EY offering is designed to help reduce the cost and expertise barriers preventing many organisations from addressing their urgent cyber security needs. I talk to Puneet Kukreja, EY Ireland Cyber Lead about the human element,  Cyber hygiene, the elastic perimeter, understanding risk, two eggs in a basket, assumed breech mindset, secure landing zone and native cloud. More about Puneet Kukreja: Puneet has 25 years’ plus experience in cybersecurity having worked in specialist cyber roles for a range of different organisations in the APAC region including National Australia Bank, the Victorian regional government of Australia, and Deloitte APAC before joining EY Ireland last year.

Much has been written about the myriad of payment methods for consumers in the past few years. But not enough has been done to help them manage the increasingly complex landscape of bill pay. Enter Cushion, a fintech company that acts as a one-stop shop for recurring expenses, giving consumers more visibility and control over their bills, including Buy Now, Pay Later. In this episode of One Vision, Theo and Barb chat with Paul Kesserwani, Founder and CEO of Cushion, on building new payment rails, fundraising, complexity of building a BNPL aggregator, and the future of AI and automation.

Recording artist Imogen Heap incorporates advanced technology in her music and live performances. On this episode of The Futurists, Imogen describes her creative process and explains how she improvises with emerging techn to achieve spontaneous artistic breakthroughs in composition, collaboration and live shows, including her digital twin “Mogen”, an AI-personality. Topics discussed in this episode: haptics, generative AI music, the future of live interaction and participatory media, procrastination and inspiration, geolocating songs, blockchain for music metadata, how fans and artists can collaborate with artificial intelligence. More about the hosts Robert Tercek is an award-winning author, entrepreneur, and educator focused on the process of dematerialization and innovation. In his professional capacity, Mr. Tercek is a seasoned business executive with deep expertise in digital media and internet services. He is a prolific creator of interactive programs and products. He has designed and launched successful consumer experiences on every digital platform, including digital television, game consoles, broadband Internet, and mobile networks. In 2021, Mr. Tercek was recognized as the Humanitarian of the Year by the Media Excellence Awards for his leadership in designing and launching COVID SMART™, an interactive training program designed to keep workers safe on the job during the pandemic. Brett King is a world-renowned entrepreneur, futurist, speaker, international bestselling author, and media personality. China’s President Xi Jinping cited his book Augmented: Life in the Smart Lane on the topic of Artificial Intelligence in his 2018 national address; the same book that was listed as a Top 10 non-fiction book in North America. In 2019 his book Bank 4.0 was awarded the Top Book by a Foreign Author in Russia for that year.

In this episode Dr. Efi Pylarinou talks to Peter Healey, CEO of efinancialcareers about the comprehensive report on Compensation in Financial Services. Gain firsthand knowledge of Compensation in Financial Services, in an exclusive interview with the CEO of efinancialcareers. We delve into the depths of this year's most comprehensive report, unearthing insights (some surprising) and key highlights. From revenue-generating roles to the impact of automation on job security, we leave no stone unturned. Discover how compensation has weathered the challenges of 2023, the shifting dynamics between culture and pay, and the truth behind the Buy side myth.  Financial Services Compensation Deep dive: In conversation with the CEO of efinancialcareers Gain firsthand knowledge of Compensation in Financial Services, in an exclusive interview with the CEO of efinancialcareers. We delve into the depths of this year's most comprehensive report, unearthing insights (some surprising) and key highlights. From revenue-generating roles to the impact of automation on job security, we leave no stone unturned. Discover how compensation has weathered the challenges of 2023, the shifting dynamics between culture and pay, and the truth behind the Buy side myth. Pete Healey https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-hea... is the CEO of eFinancialCareers, he has been with the company since 2016 where he joined as VP of Sales. Pete has 20 years experience in the digital recruitment space, previously Pete was Sales Director for European tech platform The IT Job Board which became Dice Europe following its acquisition by DHi. Pete is also a Board advisor to Get Optimal and Autometry, both in the digital talent space. Pete is very passionate about the role financial services can play to help addressing equality through better access to opportunities.

In this podcast Melanie Boylan spoke with Jinender Jain after they met at Dublin Tech Summit about Tech Mahindra. They have architected a comprehensive strategy to position itself as the world's leading blockchain company and sustained have huge growth. Listen in to learn more about them.

In 2022 Ireland’s Data Protection Commission applied fines of over €1bn. Data protection and security has steadily risen in importance and for good reason, but the advent of wide scale hybrid and remote working has shone a spotlight on the risks associated with this practice and the considerations Irish businesses need to think about to minimise data loss or breaches. With Stanford University finding through its research last month that approximately 88 percent of all data breaches are caused by employee error, there are several ways organisations can alleviate the negative impact of human error, which is still very much the driving force behind an overwhelming majority of cybersecurity problems.  One person who knows a lot about the security risks posed by wide scale hybrid and remote working is Gary Corley, Head of Cyber Services at Ergo, Ireland’s largest privately owned IT services company.   Gary talks to Ronan about the lockdown, the cloud, the human factor, AI and more. More about Gary Corley: Gary is a cybersecurity expert with over 26 years industry experience, currently Head of Cyber Services at Ergo. Prior to joining Ergo, he worked as Country Manager of Evros New Zealand, a company that provided high skilled IT and security services to clients around the globe.