Ireland could be hub for artificial intelligence, conference told

Ireland could be a global centre for artificial intelligence, while Dublin is on its way to being a smart city, attendees to the FutureScope conference in Dublin were told on Thursday. Other topics under discussion at the event included the internet of things, the rise of fake news, the future of work, and design thinking. Prof Barry O'Sullivan, director of the Insight Centre for Data Analytics in Cork, and the man named Science Foundation Ireland's researcher of the Year in November, said Ireland had the potential to lead the world in AI. Speaking ahead of a keynote speech on the topic of humans versus machines at the event, Prof O'Sullivan told The Irish Times that moves by IDA Ireland to promote the country as a destination for AI companies were to be applauded. "All of the major names involved in AI already have a presence here, although most are not doing research locally. Given that, and Ireland's academic credentials, and the accompanying increase in collaboration between industry and academia, there is massive potential for the country in this area," he said.