Irish Tatler has announced its 2025 Women of the Year Awards, with Dr Abeba Birhane of the ADAPT Centre at Trinity College Dublin’s School of Computer Science and Statistics recognised in the Innovation category.
Dr Birhane founded the AI Accountability Lab at Trinity College Dublin and the ADAPT Centre last year, and her team has since produced influential research on surveillance practices, secured EU funding to develop audit frameworks, and contributed to both national and global AI policy discussions. Her work centres on transparency, fairness, and ensuring AI serves marginalised communities. Speaking about the award, Dr Birhane said:
“It’s such a great honour to receive this award. It marks not just a recognition of the work I do but also a turn towards critical work in AI and a collective call for the need to hold the AI industry accountable and answerable for the systems they choose to develop and deploy into the world.”
Abeba Birhane, an Ethiopian-born cognitive scientist, is a global leader in ethical AI, combining technical expertise with social justice advocacy. A UCD PhD graduate, she exposed bias in major image datasets and coined the concept of “algorithmic colonisation,” reshaping AI ethics worldwide. In 2024, she founded Trinity College Dublin’s AI Accountability Lab (AIAL), securing €1.5 million to develop accountable, justice-centred AI systems. In 2025, Birhane’s team published landmark research on surveillance, won EU funding to create audit frameworks, and contributed to national and global AI policy. Her work champions transparency, fairness, and inclusive AI for marginalised communities.
Woman of 2025 in Innovation, Abeba Birhane pictured with Anne-Marie Kavanagh, Director, Davy Private Clients and Business Post’s Jessie Collins
