ADAPT’s Professor Dave Lewis Explores AI and Privacy at IBM 10 Year Celebration

05 November 2021

ADAPT Deputy Director and Associate Professor of Computer Science in Trinity College Dublin, Dave Lewis, took part in the 10 year celebration of IBM Research in Dublin today. Professor Lewis featured as a guest speaker at the celebration to discuss AI and privacy. He joined the roundtable discussion on data and AI privacy which featured an in-depth exploration of the latest strategies and technologies that can help transition disparate data security, privacy and governance practices into a more aggregated approach.

Irish Times Technology and Business journalist Dr Karlin Lillington chaired the panel which also included Dr Alessandro Curioni, VP IBM Research Europe & Africa; Mary O’Brien, General Manager of IBM Security; and Ultan O’Carroll, Deputy Commissioner for Technology and Operational Performance at the Data Protection Commission.

Businesses and institutions are facing conflicting imperatives: Make more data accessible for analysis, while managing security and compliance for personally identifiable information data to maintain consumer trust. It is expected that by 2023, 65% of the world’s population will have its personal data covered under modern privacy regulations. This means that as the amount of data, models and regulations grows, opportunities to capture insights needed for innovation will be missed by isolating data behind a firewall. The expert panelists unveiled the latest strategies and technologies that can help transition disparate data security, privacy and governance practices into a more holistic approach. 

According to IBM Research Europe Dublin Director Dr Ruoi Zhou, Dublin’s history of deep tech academic excellence made it the perfect location for IBM to set up a research lab. Since it began 10 years ago the lab has transformed into a research centre where scientists and engineers collaborate and push the frontiers of technological innovation in IoT, AI, security and privacy, hybrid cloud, and quantum computing.