AI Ireland with Mark Kelly

Today’s guest is Malcolm Byrne, TD for the Wicklow/Wexford constituency and Chair of the Oireachtas (Parliament) Committee. It’s crucial for nations to not only keep pace but also lead the charge toward innovation and implementation of transformative technologies like Artificial Intelligence. Ireland is doing just that, with significant strides being made to position the country as a frontrunner in AI usage and regulation. Malcolm joins today’s podcast to shed light on the significant work being undertaken by the Irish government and various sectors to harness the potential of AI, while carefully navigating the associated challenges.Topics include:
0:00 How the deepfake revelation sparked his interest in AI
4:06 Building cross-party support as AI gained urgency
6:40 Public sector AI adoption and EU leadership ambitions
9:42 Upskilling regulators and boosting AI public awareness
11:30 Building trust through education, skills and observatory plans
13:47 The need for urgent AI literacy to protect jobs and competitiveness

Today’s guest is Elizabeth Daly, STSM and Research Manager of the Interactive AI Group at IBM Research. Artificial Intelligence stands as a monumental achievement, reshaping industries and prompting critical discussions about ethical governance. One compelling narrative in this discourse is led by Elizabeth and her AI Award winning team at IBM Research. In today’s podcast, Elizabeth dives into the complexities and nuances of building responsible AI solutions, highlighting projects like the Risk Atlas Nexus.Topics include:
0:00 An overview of their flexible, risk-based framework for scalable responsible AI governance
4:13 Curating verifiable knowledge beyond single-LLM, rapid model churn
5:26 How valuable AI governance research exists but isn’t operational or accessible
7:30 Making LLM risk judgments controllable, explainable and trustworthy
11:23 Aim to enable fast, trusted AI innovation through built-in responsible design
13:50 Advice to start small, reuse guardrails and iterate responsibly over time

Today’s guest is Jac Dunne, Chief Executive Officer at dimply. In a rapidly evolving tech world, Jac and her story with dimply is a testament to adaptation, growth and innovation. Jac's journey is an inspiring blend of traditional financial expertise and cutting-edge technological advancements, which offers a blueprint for understanding the dynamic integration of AI in financial services.
Topics include:
0:00 How an accidental start became a gritty, wide-ranging finance career
3:41 Shaping their leadership style through great leaders and strong family values
5:32 How legacy system challenges pushed a finance professional into regtech innovation
8:36 Helping financial firms launch customer experiences faster with dimply
10:22 Launching Holi, a regulated, deterministic AI financial experience agent
12:26 Why customers love fast, frictionless, on-brand journeys that scale digitally
14:45 How Enterprise Ireland has been a strategic, hands-on partner supporting growth
16:55 Goals for 2026 from expanding Holi, and entering UK and US markets

Today's guest is Mark Kirwan, CEO & Founder at Positive Carbon. In recent years, the issue of food waste has become increasingly critical, with about one-third of all food produced ending up in the bin. However, AI Awards 2025 winner Positive Carbon is changing that narrative with a mission to significantly reduce food waste in the hospitality industry by leveraging artificial intelligence and innovative technology.Topics include:
0:00 How Positive Carbon uses AI to help hospitality cut food waste
3:32 His career journey from software engineer to founding Positive Carbon
5:05 How Zero-shot AI identifies food waste instantly with no training needed
6:05 Utilising Plug-and-play hardware to track kitchen food waste in real time
7:14 Using Microsoft Azure and Defender for secure, compliant cloud AI
8:29 Securing funding by directly pitching to investors with validated ideas
9:57 How Enterprise Ireland provided support, introductions and collaborative guidance
10:35 How plug-and-play design ensures high adoption and effective results
11:25 Winning Best Application of AI in Sustainability at the 2025 AI Awards
12:01 Expanding internationally in 2026, aiming for 10,000 units reducing food waste

Today’s guest is Kate Minogue, Fractional CPO/General Manager and AI Advisor at Kate Minogue Advisory. As technology constantly reshapes our lives, the intersection of AI and human experience is particularly compelling. In this podcast, Kate talks about the transformative power of AI, its varying applications and the insightful experiences from her journey in the field.Topics include:
0:00 Judging the AI Awards applications with care, depth and sector diversity
3:52 Using AI to genuinely make people’s lives easier through the AI Leadership Lab
6:25 Building the course through disciplined execution and constant user feedback
10:56 ChatGPT’s shift into a consumer commerce and app platform
16:03 How OpenAI’s broad, emergent strategy may converge on app ecosystem
19:32 Why consumer AI faces challenges of trust, ease of use and literacy
23:23 How to follow Kate and get involved with the Leadership Lab course