Biz and Tech Podcasts > Technology > ADAPT Radio
Last Episode Date: 04/01/2025
Total Episodes: Not Available
Facial recognition technology is becoming a routine part of daily life, from unlocking phones to assisting law enforcement. But as its use expands, so do the ethical and legal dilemmas it presents. Today we dive into the mechanics of facial recognition technology—how it works, its limitations, and the biases it can reinforce. From government policies to legal frameworks, and the importance of public awareness in shaping the future of AI-powered surveillance, we break down the pressing issues surrounding this technology. Joining us are two experts who are working to promote awareness and caution around FRT. They are Assistant Professor at Maynooth University’s School of Law and Criminology, Dr. Ciara Bracken-Roche, and Senior Policy Officer at ICCL and coordinator of the International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations, Olga Cronin. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● The rise of facial recognition technology in everyday life and law enforcement ● Concerns about ethics, flaws and AI bias in FRT ● Examining government policies, legal challenges, and human rights issues ● Potential dangers and misuse of mass surveillance ● Engaging society to critically think through creative mediums GUEST DETAILS Dr. Ciara Bracken-Roche is an Assistant Professor in the School of Law and Criminology at Maynooth University, and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa. She completed her PhD (Queen's University), MA (Warwick), and BSc (Toronto). Ciara's current line of research explores the adoption and use of drones and other surveillance technologies in Canada and Ireland by policing and public safety agencies. https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/people/ciara-bracken-roche Olga Cronin is a Senior Policy Officer of Enforce and the coordinator of the International Network of Civil Liberties Organisations (INCLO). She is focused on facial recognition technology, encryption, state surveillance, privacy and data protection. Her work to date, with academics and other NGOs, helped prevent use of the powerful mass surveillance without pre-legislative scrutiny or debate. She also leads ICCL’s work on several EU proposals, including the EU ‘ChatControl’ proposal which could mandate unprecedented mass surveillance of all public and private digital communications. She is leading several complaints to the Data Protection Commission. https://www.iccl.ie/staff/olga-cronin/ MORE INFORMATION You can learn more about your AI Literacy in the Classroom here: https://ai-literacy-in-the-classroom.adaptcentre.ie/ Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/ KEYWORDS #AI #facialrecognition #biometric #data #humanrights #masssurveillance #AIAdvisoryCouncil
AI is transforming education at an unprecedented pace, which means teachers need to think closely about how to harness the power of AI. In this episode we learn about a new initiative that aims to help teachers navigate AI to better education, rather than hinder it. We hear how AI is already impacting classrooms across the world, from technical worries to ethical concerns, and how educational content and assessment can be adjusted to embrace rapidly evolving technologies. Our guests are two experts involved in the new AI Literacy in the Classroom initiative. They are Head of Education, Engagement and Societal Impact at ADAPT, Laura Grehan, and Associate Professor of Digital Learning at Dublin City University, Dr Eamon Costello. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● How AI is impacting education for both teachers and students ● Overview of the AI Literacy in the Classroom Initiative ● Where AI has practical uses in education ● Addressing biases and ethical considerations in AI ● Future-proofing for technology advancements with AI literacy GUEST DETAILS Laura Grehan is Head of Education, Engagement and Societal Impact at ADAPT and a member of the ADAPT Executive Management Committee. ADAPT’s EPE programme has been reviewed internationally as being “outstanding”, and the ADAPT EPE team was awarded a DCU President’s Staff Recognition Award 2021 in recognition of its exceptional work. Under Laura’s leadership, ADAPT has won over €1.5m in funding for EPE projects at national and international level. Some of these projects have won international awards recognising their high quality and an exemplary pivot to online delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.adaptcentre.ie/experts/laura-grehan/ Dr Costello is an Associate professor of Digital Learning at Dublin City University and an accomplished teacher, researcher and public speaker. He is deeply curious about how we learn in different environments and is known as a creative and innovative communicator. He is concerned with how we actively shape our world so that we can have better and more humane places in which to think, work, live and learn. He is an advocate of using the right tool for the job or sometimes none at all, for not everything can be fixed or should be built. https://www.dcu.ie/stemeducationinnovationglobalstudies/people/eamon-costello MORE INFORMATION You can learn more about your AI Literacy in the Classroom here: https://ai-literacy-in-the-classroom.adaptcentre.ie/ Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/ KEYWORDS #AI #literacy #education #generativeAI # teachertraining #criticalthinking #biases #ethics
Many of our daily interactions are reliant on the processing of personal data from emails, to social media, our phones and SMART devices. What happens to that data after we die? Although many of us don’t like to think about it, we will leave behind a huge digital footprint with data that could be useful to future generations. Today we hear how AI can help shape our digital legacy and how digital literacy can improve management, preservation and access to the data that outlives us. Our guest is an expert in human data interactions and PhD candidate at University College Dublin, School of Information and Communication Studies, Danny Snow. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● The digital legacy we leave after death ● Complications of ownership and access ● Uses of posthumous data including medical research ● How AI can shape digital legacies and mass data collection ● Data donor cards and design in digital footprints GUEST DETAILS Danny Snow is a PhD candidate at University College Dublin, School of Information and Communication Studies, and Danny is looking at human data interactions and AI and that includes exploring the concept of digital literacy and examining how digital content is managed, preserved and accessed after a person dies. https://ie.linkedin.com/in/danny-snow-1583931a3 MORE INFORMATION You can learn more about your digital data legacy at https://datadonorcard.org/ Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/ QUOTES In more recent history, the volume of data is related to a specific period of time, whereas as we move forward, it's likely to relate to the entirety of someone's life. - Danny Snow Personal data, even when alive, doesn't relate just to you. It relates to your family, anyone you're interacting with, anyone you're in the same location as, and it's the aggregation of that data that is important. - Danny Snow The legal protections around posthumous data aren't the same. - Danny Snow AI has the potential for recognizing these patterns, that in such a large volume that may not otherwise be recognizable. - Danny Snow One of the big issues is that we don't necessarily understand what our digital footprint encompasses. - Danny Snow KEYWORDS #Digital #legacy #AI #data #ethical #digitalfootprint #privacy
As AI becomes a bigger part of our world it can be utilised to power research and studies in ways that were never possible before. Today we hear about new research that has used AI to expose the harms of gambling marketing in sport. Through analysis of sporting programmes, social media consumption and focus groups with young people, they discovered the shocking reach these companies have into our everyday lives. Our expert guests are calling for better regulation and a step away from the idea of individual responsibility. Aphra Kerr is Adjunct Professor of Sociology at Maynooth University and Professor of Information and Communication Studies at University College Dublin. Dr Paul kitchen is a senior lecturer in the School of Sport and Exercise Science at Ulster University in Belfast. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● Using AI to gather concrete data on gambling trends ● The rise in gambling exposure due to social media and deregulation ● Analysis through focus groups and media consumption ● Social impacts and considerations away from the individual ● Putting pressure on sporting bodies and gambling companies GUEST DETAILS Dr. Aphra Kerr is a Full Professor of Information and Communication Studies at University College Dublin and Senior Adviser at the UCD Centre for Digital Policy. She is adjunct Professor of Sociology at Maynooth University. She is a Co-PI at the ADAPT Centre for Digital Media Technology, scientific lead of the Transparent Digital Governance strand and co-lead of the Autonomy and Responsibility challenge. Her ADAPT research focuses on the ethics and values underpinning the design and governance of AI, AI related public policy and social expectations of AI. She is also working on projects related to algorithmic and AI literacy, young people’s engagement with media and gaming, histories of creative computing and examining media concentration and power. Aphra has over twenty years researching digital content and technology with a focus on digital media and digital games. Paul Kitchin is a Senior Lecturer within the School of Sport and Exercise Science. His PhD investigated organisational change on managers, staff, and youth participants in para-sport. He is interested in how wider health and social outcomes are developed through sport. Topics of relevance to this include; Disability, Sport and Media, Marketing, Gambling, Youth. He is a Senior Fellow of the Advance HE and his teaching and supervision focus is on leadership, management, and justice in and through sport organisations. MORE INFORMATION All-Island report finds young people exposed to high levels of gambling marketing across sport and media: https://www.adaptcentre.ie/news-and-events/all-island-report-finds-young-people-exposed-to-high-levels-of-gambling-marketing-across-sport-and-media/ Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/
As AI continues to shape our society, how can we make sure that it doesn't harm minority groups or exacerbate inequalities? Today we hear from two experts who are a part of a brand new research group that is working to keep AI accountable. The AI Accountability Lab focuses on critical issues across broad topics such as the examination of opaque technological ecologies and the execution of audits on specific models and training datasets. We hear how researchers are trying to join the dots between evidence and policy and how better AI awareness is key to preventing harm. Our guests today are leading the way in AI accountability. Dr Abeba Birhane is a cognitive scientist and Research Fellow in the ADAPT Research Centre Ireland, and Dr Roel Dobbe is an Assistant Professor in Technology, Policy & Management at Delft University of Technology focusing on Sociotechnical AI Systems. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● The AI Accountability Lab ● How AI has potential to entrench inequality in society ● Joining the dots between AI research and policies ● Addressing misrepresented concepts in AI training models ● Awareness of AI inaccuracy even with perfect data models GUEST DETAILS Dr Abeba Birhane is a cognitive scientist researching human behaviour, social systems, and responsible and ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI). Abeba recently finished her PhD, where she explored the challenges and pitfalls of automating human behaviour through critical examination of existing computational models and audits of large scale datasets. Abeba is currently a Senior Fellow in Trustworthy AI at Mozilla Foundation. She is also an Adjunct Lecturer/Assistant Professor at the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. https://abebabirhane.com/ Dr Roel Dobbe is an Assistant Professor in Technology, Policy & Management at Delft University of Technology focusing on Sociotechnical AI Systems. He received a MSc in Systems & Control from Delft (2010) and a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from UC Berkeley (2018), where he received the Demetri Angelakos Memorial Achievement Award. He was an inaugural postdoc at the AI Now Institute and New York University. His research addresses the integration and implications of algorithmic technologies in societal infrastructure and democratic institutions, focusing on issues related to safety, sustainability and justice. Roel’s system-theoretic lens enables addressing the sociotechnical and political nature of algorithmic and artificial intelligence systems across analysis, engineering design and governance, with an aim to empower domain experts and affected communities. His results have informed various policy initiatives, including environmental assessments in the European AI Act as well as the development of the algorithm watchdog in The Netherlands. https://www.tudelft.nl/staff/r.i.j.dobbe/ MORE INFORMATION Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/ KEYWORDS #AI #accountability #transparency #public #policies #data #auditing #bias
Many of us will be familiar with voice activated software in devices like smart speakers, but there are so many more possibilities for this technology, including in healthcare. Today we hear about a voice technology companion that will help care for people with mobility-related illnesses at home, allowing them to live independently for longer. We hear how the AI software will help with medication delivery, activity reporting and event reminders to assist patients and healthcare providers with care. Our guest today is an entrepreneur who created this start-up after having her own experience caring for those with mobility issues. She is the Founder and Commercial Lead of Amethyst Care, Rebecca McManus. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT > Developing a voice-enabled AI companion to help those with mobility issues > Complimenting face-to-face care with technology > Involving caregivers and people with mobility issues in pilot programmes > Ethical considerations and future possibilities for the technology > Securing funding and planning pilot programmes GUEST DETAILS Rebecca McManus is Founder and Commercial Lead of Amethyst Care. Amethyst Care is the voice technology companion that helps care for people with mobility-related illnesses at home, allowing them to live independently for longer. By facilitating 2-way communication. Based in the SFI Adapt research centre at Trinity, Amethyst Care is led by Rebecca McManus and Prof Vinny Wade. https://www.amethystcare.ie/index.html# MORE INFORMATION Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/ KEYWORDS #AI #mobility #voicetechnology #caregiver #recruitment #assistedliving #healthcare #ethicalAI
With the surge in deep fakes and disinformation we need to be very careful about believing what we see online, particularly in relation to big world events. Today we learn how we can take the power away from deep fakes during election time, when underlying agendas and heightened tensions can cause a rise in disinformation. We also hear how we can increase our personal media literacy, but also the ways in which deep fakes can be used positively. Our expert guest has just completed his PhD at Trinity College Dublin and is an ADAPT Centre researcher focusing on disinformation, Dipto Barman. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● The rise of deep fake technology in political discourse ● Deciphering between misinformation and disinformation ● Using AI-based detection algorithms to verify authentic media ● Potential positive and negative applications of deep fake technology ● Solutions to identify and watermark to ensure transparency GUEST DETAILS Dipto Barman is an ADAPT Centre researcher who has just completed his PhD under the supervision of Owen Conlan, TCD, and Jane Suiter, DCU based in TCD. Dipto holds a Masters from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan in Computer Science and Information Engineering particularly focusing on Fuzzy Logic and Artificial Intelligence. He was also an Assistant Professor at Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, India in the Department of Computer Science and engineering. He is currently working in the fields of adaptive recommendation systems and disinformation. MORE INFORMATION Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/
This podcast is also available with international sign language and closed captions on YouTube. https://youtu.be/vrvoiYNRpts We live in an Uber digital world, and being able to access online information is an important part of life. Unfortunately, this isn’t always accessible for minority communities, such as the deaf and hard of hearing. Today we learn about the challenges this community faces in the digital world and barriers that exist in sign language translation. We hear from experts who have been in the SignON Project, which is a European project aimed at overcoming these issues and creating a more accessible online experience. Our guests today are Dr. Dimitar Shterionov, Assistant Professor in Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence at Tilburg University, who was scientific lead on the project, and Davy Van Landuyt, Project Officer with the European Union of the Deaf and an end user of the project as a deaf person. We are also delighted to be joined by interpreter Romy O’Callaghan. This podcast has been published in both audio and video format. For video format with sign language please click here. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● The unique task of developing AI-powered technology for sign language translation ● Challenges faced by the deaf community in accessing online information ● How the SignON project is tackling these issues with new technology ● Importance of co-creation and involving the deaf and hard of hearing community ● Addressing data availability and quality before launching to the public GUEST DETAILS Dr. Dimitar Shterionov is Assistant Professor in Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence at Tilburg University, The Netherlands (scientific lead). Between January and July 2020 he worked as an assistant professor in Computing the School of Computing, DCU. Prior to that (2017 - 2019) he worked as a post-doctoral researcher in the ADAPT centre, DCU. He holds a PhD in computer science engineering from KULeuven, Belgium. He was the scientific lead of the EU-funded project on translation of sign and oral languages: SignON with Professor Andy Way of the ADAPT Centre. Davy Van Landuyt is Project Officer with the European Union of the Deaf. Davy is a deaf Belgian with roots in the social-cultural movement and association work in the deaf community, going through all possible layers from the local level to the European level. Since 2021, he has worked as Project Officer for the European Union of the Deaf. Outside of his commitments in the deaf community, Davy is also active in the area of localization, specifically videogame and software localization in the Dutch language. MORE INFORMATION SignON is a European funded Horizon 2020 project that started in January 2021 and ran until December 2023, with the objective of addressing the communication gap between users of spoken languages and Deaf sign language users. https://signon-project.eu/about-signon/the-signon-project/ Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/
The AI Act is leading the way as the first-ever legal framework on AI, but what challenges are facing regulators when it comes to adapting to the rapid evolution of this technology, and in bringing tough conversations about its capabilities to the global stage? Today we hear from the architect of the groundbreaking AI Act about ‘The Geopolitics of AI’, where he explains how the EU is positioning itself as a global leader in AI governance, and why this matters for everyone - from policymakers to everyday people. He discusses the delicate balance between fostering innovation and protecting society, and why he believes the EU can gain a competitive edge in the global AI race if it plays its cards right. Our guest is passionate about asking the big questions about our AI-driven future. He is Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Age, Dragoş Tudorache. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● Why the EU's AI Act is a pioneering model for global AI governance ● The challenges of implementing AI regulations ● AI's profound impact on society, economy, and warfare ● Geopolitical implications of AI development including data and talent acquisition. ● Global cooperation in AI governance with inclusive conversations GUEST DETAILS Dragoș Tudorache is a Member of the European Parliament and Vice-President of the Renew Europe Group. He is the Chair of the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Age (AIDA) and the LIBE rapporteur on the AI Act, and he sits on the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE), and the European Parliament's Delegation for relations with the United States (D-US). MORE INFORMATION Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/ QUOTES The act itself is not just a piece of legislation. It's not just a bunch of rules and standards on the back of those rules. It is a very powerful Statement of Purpose, Statement of Intent, very political, very geopolitical - Dragoș Tudorache We have to also think very seriously on how we start bringing society on board in understanding how much AI is going to mean in their lives in the years to come. - Dragoș Tudorache The Act is a living text, and we've deliberately made it a living text, so that it keeps adapting to the technology and the reality of the world. - Dragoș Tudorache AI is the most disruptive technological change in the history of mankind. The future will be shaped by those who shape AI, and who have the competitive edge on AI. - Dragoș Tudorache AI is reshaping war as we've known it. - Dragoș Tudorache We're not very good at retaining talent here in Europe. Not because we don't produce it, actually we're quite good at producing the talent, but we are neither good at keeping it here. - Dragoș Tudorache KEYWORDS #ai #data #technology #supercomputers #democracies #geopolitical #regulation #eu
When Chat GPT hit the public consciousness just a couple of years ago, we immediately started to see effects in education, with students and teachers alike using Generative AI to support learning. With Gen AI and chatbots advancing at such a rapid pace, their role in education is increasing. At a recent event in Trinity College, called ‘Unlocking the Future of Learning’, we heard a fascinating keynote about how Gen AI is evolving and how it can assist teachers and students in enhancing learning and efficiency, but also the precautions we need to take to use it to our best benefit. Our expert Prof Vincent Wade has been involved in education technology for almost 25 years as a researcher and a user, and is Co-Founder of the ADAPT SFI Research Centre. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● An overview of generative AI is and how it works ● Embracing Gen AI possibilities to create efficient workplaces ● Using generative AI to enhance teaching and learning ● Risks and limitations including hallucination, biases, and ethical and privacy concerns ● Future potential uses in education technology GUEST DETAILS Professor Vincent Wade is co-founder of the ADAPT Centre for Digital Content Technology and holds the Professorial Chair of Computer Science (Est. 1990) in School of Computer Science and Statistics, Trinity College Dublin as well as a Personal Chair in Artificial Intelligence. He is also co-director of the DREAL Centre for Research Training. His research focuses on intelligent systems, AI and Personalisation. He was awarded Fellowship of Trinity College for his contribution to research and has published over three hundred and fifty scientific papers in peer reviewed international journals and conferences. Other awards won by Professor Wade include the European Language Label Award for innovation in Language Learning Technology (2010). He also holds multiple patents and invention disclosures in the area of personalisation and digital content technologies. MORE INFORMATION Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/ QUOTES What differentiates us from a lot of other research centres is that what we try and do is be human centric, we're actually looking at the technology and how it empowers an individual, rather than us being automated by the technology, which is not just uncomfortable, but actually is not going to be successful in the future. - Vincent Wade It's the fastest adopted technology ever in history. To get to 100 million users, it only took two months. - Vincent Wade Gen AI may not take your job, but someone using Gen AI will, because they're going to be much more efficient and productive. Don't get scared, you can use it too. - Vincent Wade When you bring in a new technology, what happens is it creates new roles. The problem with Gen AI is it's come in so fast, that we haven't even identified what those roles are. We're only beginning now. - Vincent Wade KEYWORDS #ai #education #chatgpt #language #information #data
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