Minister for Trade Promotion, AI and Digital Transformation Niamh Smyth visited CeADAR, Ireland's centre for AI, at its UCD offices on Wednesday, where she was briefed on its expansion plan to accelerate AI adoption across Ireland.
Minister Smyth is the first Irish Minister of State to have been designated with a specific portfolio concerning AI.
She is in the process of meeting key stakeholders regarding the government's drive to increase the adoption and deployment of AI systems across all sectors.
CeADAR is expected to play a critical role in supporting enterprises and public sector organisations in Ireland to understand and use data analytics and AI to empower their businesses.
Minister Smyth met with senior figures from CeADAR and UCD, including Dr John Lonsdale, CEO of CeADAR; Dr Ricardo Simon Carbajo, director of innovation & development at CeADAR, and Prof. Kate Robson Brown, vice-president for research, innovation and impact at UCD.
She was introduced to CeADAR’s work supporting organisations across Ireland to explore, experiment with, and integrate AI into products and processes, and given an overview of the centre’s strategic priority to accelerate AI adoption across Ireland.
It has been a great pleasure to have Minister Niamh Smyth visit us here today to see firsthand the work CeADAR is doing to accelerate the adoption of AI and machine learning by Irish businesses and public sector organisations," said Dr Lonsdale.
"With huge changes in the way data can be collected and used, it is more important than ever that Irish businesses understand and grasp the transformative opportunities that AI offers across all business verticals.
“The fact that the Government has, for the first time, given a Minister specific responsibility for AI and digital transformation is very much to be welcomed as we seek to accelerate adoption of these rapidly evolving technologies.”
During her visit, Minister Smyth said: "The rapidly evolving international economic landscape underscores the critical role of competitiveness in fostering sustainable growth in our enterprise sectors.
"The continuous adoption and deployment of new AI technologies is critical to driving the competitiveness of Irish businesses in international markets.
"Equally important is our ambition to drive more AI adoption among domestically trading and locally trading business, as it will help save business owners time, money and make them more productive and competitive.”
Photo: (l-r) Dr John Lonsdale, Prof. Kate Robson Brown, Niamh Smyth, and Dr Ricardo Simon Carbajo. (Pic: Supplied)
