As part of Transformation Week 2025, Dublin City Council brought together staff from across its services to highlight projects driving transformative change across the organisation.
Among the key presentations was a spotlight on the Gen AI Lab, delivered by Nicola Graham, Smart City Programme Manager. The Gen AI Lab is a collaborative initiative between Dublin City Council, Trinity College Dublin, and the ADAPT Centre, exploring responsible and practical uses of generative AI within local government. The project aims to enhance public service design, streamline operations, and strengthen governance and transparency for both citizens and council staff.
Beyond Transformation Week, Nicola Graham also represented Dublin City Council at ADAPT’s flagship forum, ADVANCE, where she joined a panel discussion alongside Eamonn Kennedy, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Newscorp. The panel explored how joint research labs can foster partnerships between academia and industry to develop sandboxes for safe and sustainable AI evaluation and adoption.
The discussion highlighted the challenges organisations face, from administrative burdens and data inefficiencies to the limitations of traditional, manual systems. The Joint Research Lab model demonstrates how digital transformation can happen swiftly, safely, and effectively, serving as a leading example of AI adoption in the public sector.
A full recording of the ADVANCE panel discussion will be made available soon.
