Irish innovation honoured at fifth annual AI Awards

    Software to protect children from cyberbullying, a wearable device to diagnose Parkinson’s Disease and educational tools for literacy were among the winners of this year’s AI Awards.

    Other winning entries included projects focusing on areas such as noise pollution, electric vehicle charging stations and lip movements.

    The awards are designed to support the growth and development of data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence in Ireland.

    “I am deeply impressed by this year’s finalists, who highlight AI’s transformative power in various sectors,” said AI Ireland Founder Mark Kelly.

    “Their innovations range from protecting young people online to pioneering ethical AI in education and streamlining processes in large enterprises. Notable achievements include advancements in explainable AI, promoting transparency and trust, and significant strides in child safety software,” Mr Kelly said.

    Since its inception five years ago, Microsoft has sponsored the AI Awards.

    “Right now, we are entering ‘the era of AI’, where we can explore limitless possibilities to transform the fabric of our economy and society,” said Anne Sheehan, General Manager, Microsoft Ireland.

    “We are excited about the increasing role of technology to act as a co-pilot for individuals and organisations to achieve so much more, as is evidenced by these awards,” Ms Sheehan said.

    12 awards were presented at a ceremony at Dublin’s Gibson Hotel, yesterday November 21st.

    The winners are:

     

    Best Application of AI in a Student Project

    Balaji Padmanathan, UCD

    Acknowledged for his project focusing on optimising electric vehicle charging station locations in Dublin, to make Dublin more sustainable and serving as a model for global efforts to combat climate change and promote responsible urban development.

    AI Person of the Year

    Luca Longo

    Acknowledged for his innovative research in explainable AI (xAI), with a focus on making AI models more interpretable and transparent, impacting human-AI interaction, responsible AI development, human capacity, international engagement, and the economy.

    Women in AI Person of the Year

    Rena Maycock

    Rena leads a startup developing child protection software for smartphones, addressing cyberbullying and grooming. Rena is a respected columnist advocating for women in tech, advocating for funding equality, and mentoring aspiring female founders.

    Young AI Role Model of the Year

    Chenyang Lyu

    A final year PhD student at DCU with an impressive track record of research, particularly in the application of pre-trained Large Language Models to Question and answering and Multi-modal tasks, resulting in over 15 publications in prestigious conferences and journals.

    Best Application of AI to achieve Social Good

    Cilter Technologies

    For the development of embedded software aimed at protecting children from cyberbullying and online grooming. Their unique system operates at a deep level, blocking harmful messages and notifying parents to make smartphones safer for children.

    Best Application of AI in a Large Enterprise

    Dell Technologies

    Recognised for their collaboration between the Managed Services (DTMS) team and Service Operations Applied Science and Engineering (SOAS) to implement an ML-powered Multi-Layered Framework that enhances incident management and reduces ticket handling times.

    Best Use of Responsible AI and Ethics

    SoapBox Labs

    For the development of unbiased voice AI for educational tools addressing the literacy crisis, with a focus on equity in data handling and modelling, and a commitment to mitigating AI bias to empower teachers and students worldwide.

    Best Application of AI in a Startup

    Data Science Wizards

    Honoured for UnifyAI, which solves complex AI development challenges for enterprises, offering an integrated, automated, and open-source platform, accelerating AI adoption and reducing costs with a solid commitment to security and societal impact.

    Best Application of AI in Sustainability

    Gemmo AI

    Recognised for developing an API for noise source identification to address noise pollution in Dublin and beyond, aiming to improve health and enhance the quality of life, creating a world where environmental surveillance safeguards the planet.

    Best Application of AI in Healthcare

    Head Diagnostics & GlobalLogic

    Awarded for their HDx Neuro AI Platform, which addresses the late diagnosis and poor management of Parkinson’s Disease and other neurological conditions, offering digital biomarkers and AI to enable early detection and personalised treatment.

    Best Use of AI in a Consumer/Customer Service Application

    Lip

    For addressing the challenge of language barriers in content creation by using AI to generate lip movements that make it appear as if you can speak another language, helping creators reach broader language markets quickly.

    Best Application of AI in an Academic Research Body

    Tyndall National Institute

    Recognised for their project aimed at developing a miniaturised wearable device with advanced machine learning algorithms for precise Parkinson’s Disease (PD) diagnosis and blood pressure estimation, to improve PD assessment and treatment.

     

    Microsoft Ireland were the headline sponsor for the 2023 AI Awards, while the event was also sponsored by Alldus International, Mazars, GlobalLogic, Mason Hayes & Curran, Dublin City Council, IDA Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, Women in AI Ireland, Tangent, Trinity’s Ideas Workspace and Enterprise Ireland.