The Irish Tech News Podcast

Hydrogen could be an economically viable addition to electricity supplies if it is converted on reversible power-to-gas systems, finds research from the University of Mannheim Business School. According to Professor Stefan Reichelstein, Director of the Mannheim Institute for Sustainable Energy Studies, green hydrogen is currently expensive because the turbines that generate electricity from hydrogen can only work one direction.  As such, they are used sparingly to beef up electricity supply when renewable sources produce too little. Reversible systems can generate hydrogen for industrial processes when there is ample electricity and reverse the process when necessary, so will be utilised far more frequently. European companies are leading the charge in developing the technology for reversible power-to-gas systems, and the more these systems are installed, the more production costs will drop, says Professor Reichelstein. Ronan talks to Professor Reichelstein. Professor Reichelstein talks about his background, why green hydrogen is more expensive, reversible power-to-gas systems and more. More about Professor Stefan Reichelstein: Professor Reichelstein is known internationally for his research on the interface of management accounting and economics. Much of his work has addressed issues in cost- and profitability analysis, decentralisation, internal pricing and performance measurement. His research projects have spanned analytical models, empirical work and field studies. Reichelstein’s papers have been published consistently in leading management and economic journals. Insights from his research have been applied by a range of corporations and government agencies. In recent years, Reichelstein has also studied the cost competitiveness of low-carbon energy solutions, with a particular focus on solar PV and carbon capture by fossil fuel power plants.

Garry Connolly is the Founder of Host in Ireland, a strategic global initiative created to increase awareness of the benefits of hosting digital assets in Ireland and Irish companies delivering international data centre projects. A self-proclaimed “stubborn digital optimist,” Garry is a much sought-after keynote speaker, panelist and moderator at global industry events.  Host in Ireland is a global initiative created to increase awareness for how and why digital infrastructure coming from Ireland – with global and Irish companies – plays a unique role around the world. With more than 50 partners across the digital infrastructure ecosystem, Host in Ireland operates under a spirit of “co-opetition”. Market competitors come together in trust to support actions promoting the capabilities of Ireland as a centre of data excellence. More about Host in Ireland's 2023 Ecosystem Report Have you ever wondered why Ireland is an intrinsic home to digital infrastructure and Irish companies so successful? Why is talent developed in Ireland so coveted around the world? Where decisions were once made out solely of US headquarters, we now see key heads of influence sit in or come through Ireland more than ever before.Host in Ireland is pleased to announce the launch of the 2023 Ecosystem Report, “Digital Infrastructure: An Irish Export Success”.The 2022 Host in Ireland Ecosystem report introduced the characteristics of the digital infrastructure ecosystem and what it means to be I.R.I.S.H. – Ingenuity, Relentlessness, Integrity, Strength and History. We explained who the companies were and defined cohorts of how they operate within the system. We also shared why companies doing business in and from Ireland have been able to influence the global data centre market.This year we are looking at the ecosystem in action. Why the Irish ecosystem is in such demand on global projects and what are the characteristics of it that make it so transportable. We are also trying to understand why the talent that comes through or from Ireland is so highly sought after and why that makes it one of the most exportable – and successful – elements of the industry.

Is the Future Secure?  This week on The Futurists we get into the future of cybercrime and personal security in the smart world with renowned “security guru” Bruce Schneier. The author of over a dozen books (his latest bestseller being “A Hacker’s Mind”), Lecturer on Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, Congressional advisor and Media personality. Will AI and Quantum kill passwords? How secure will your DNA records be? The answers might surprise you About Bruce Schneier Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist, called a “security guru” by The Economist. He is the author of over one dozen books—including his latest, A Hacker’s Mind—as well as hundreds of articles, essays, and academic papers. His influential newsletter “Crypto-Gram” and his blog “Schneier on Security” are read by over 250,000 people. He has testified before Congress, is a frequent guest on television and radio, has served on several government committees, and is regularly quoted in the press. Schneier is a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University; a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School; a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and AccessNow; and an Advisory Board Member of the Electronic Privacy Information Center and VerifiedVoting.org. He is the Chief of Security Architecture at Inrupt, Inc. 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. n 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.

“I started out within E Learning by creating a content-based platform which I pursued after deferring my degree at Loughborough University. This venture didn’t work out, but it led to me finding a deep passion for E Learning,” says Jake Lee, founder of the Edtech company Uppercent. In conversation with Jillian Godsil

The Marketing Institute Ireland recently held the National Digital Conference MII DMX, from brand managers to agencies, from digital specialists to CMO’s, the who’s-who in marketing returned for the 11th year. For the first time in two years it was held in person and the focus was on the hot topic theme of digital transformation. One of the main speakers was Dr Michael Wu a high-profile speaker on AI technology. Ronan attended this years DMX and got to talk to Dr Michael Wu. Dr Wu talks about the brief evolution of business intelligence, the definition of AI, the misconception of AI, the growth of AI adoption, AI bias and more. More about Dr. Michael Wu: Dr. Michael Wu is one of the world’s premier authorities on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), data science, and behavioural economics. He’s currently the Chief AI Strategist at PROS (NYSE: PRO), an AI-powered SaaS provider that helps companies monetise more efficiently in the digital economy. He’s been appointed as a Senior Research Fellow at the Ecole des Ponts Business School for his work in Data Science, and he serves as an advisor and a lecturer for UC Berkeley Extension’s AI programs. Prior to PROS, Dr Wu was the Chief Scientist at Lithium for a decade, where he focuses on developing predictive and prescriptive algorithms to extract insights from social media big data. His research spans many areas, including customer experience, CRM, online influence, gamification, digital transformation, AI, etc. His R&D won him the recognition as an Influential Leader by CRM Magazine along with Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Benioff and other industry giants. Dr Wu has served as a DOE fellow at the Los Alamos National Lab conducting research in face recognition and was awarded 4 years of full fellowship under the Computational Science Graduate Fellowship. Prior to industry, Dr Wu received his triple major undergraduate degree in Applied Math, Physics, and Molecular & Cell Biology; and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley’s Biophysics program, where he uses machine learning to model visual processing within the human brain. Dr Wu believes in knowledge dissemination, and speaks internationally at universities, conferences, and enterprises. His insights have inspired many global enterprises and are made accessible through “The Science of Social,” and “The Science of Social 2”—two easy-reading e-books.

Community banks are an integral part of our society. Yet, in the digital era where we are carrying mini computers in our pocket, many of them have sadly been left behind. In this episode of One Vision, Theo chats with Tammy Bangs, life-long banker and VP of Sales at PortX, on fintech, open banking, and autonomy. Can we envision a future where banks could control their own tech destiny and would no longer be completely dependent on their core provider to innovate or enable fintech partnerships? Follow Tammy’s timely advice: Don’t just stay on the ranch. Take time to go outside and experience the world. 

FictionDescription: Julian Bleeker of the Near Future Laboratory has developed a novel way to forecast: he constructs prototypes, products and artifacts from future scenarios. Then he designs the marketing material, including ad campaigns and brochures and catalogs, to interrogate the wider impact on consumer society and human behavior. These techniques are set forth in Julian’s book, The Manual of Design Fiction: A Practical Guide to Exploring The Near Future.  URL: https://www.nearfuturelaboratory.com/ 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. n 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.

Lindsay Aamodt, head of marketing of Upland, was previously a ice skater. Representing one’s country at the highest level requires determination, skill and dedication. Lindsay had all three attributes in abundance when as a young girl she followed her heart into ice skating. She takes these attributes into her professional life. In conversation with Jillian Godsil

AI has come along way in recent years and is now becoming more and more part of our daily lives. One question people have been asking is about AI ethics and should we trust it? Ronan talks to Dr. Luca Marchesotti AI Architect & Founder of Gemmo AI, who believes in tech for good and the responsible and ethical use of AI. Dr Marchesotti talks about his background, how Gemmo AI started , What Gemma AI does, the cloud, noisy events, voice recognition and more More about  Dr. Luca Marchesotti and Gemmo AI: Dr. Luca Marchesotti is the founder and CEO of Gemmo AI, a Dublin-based machine-learning company. As a former senior scientist at Xerox, Luca has a reputation for early breakthroughs in Image Aesthetics and has long been an advocate for technical transformation. Through Gemmo AI, Luca continues to champion this cause. Gemmo AI strives to be the preferred AI partner for innovative companies seeking action-driven automation. The company's leadership team has successfully overseen numerous R&D projects for Fortune 500 companies, resulting in groundbreaking products and services that have transformed entire industries. Operating across multiple industries Gemmo AI deploys machine learning models to enable companies to turn their products into smart solutions, particularly within industry 4.0, sustainable food production, and smart environmental monitoring sectors. 

Instead of pursuing growth at all cost, the current economic climate has forced fintechs to go back to the drawing board and focus on the fundamentals of building a more sustainable business. From diversifying product offerings to finding ways to lower the cost of customer acquisition and better monetize existing customer base, fintechs need to recalibrate and build a team that is fit for purpose for the next stage of growth. In this episode of One Vision, Theo and Arun chat with industry veteran, Jeff Tijssen, Expert Partner and Global Head of FinTech at Bain & Company, on the role that fintechs play and why he is bullish about the future. From closing the gap for the unbanked and underbanked, to optimizing efficiencies in banking, there is still plenty of work that fintechs can do to challenge the status quo. While the current generation of neobanks might not have significantly disrupted the financial services landscape yet — the pace of change has quickened in recent years, and will continue for years to come. Transformation is a journey. For Jeff, there has never been a more exciting time to work in financial services.