Ireland’s Strengths as a European Leader in AI Spotlighted at Artificial Intelligence Conference

ADVANCE 2025, hosted by ADAPT, the Research Ireland Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology, took place at the European Commission and Parliament’s headquarters in Dublin and spotlighted Ireland’s role in European innovation, digital security, and an open source future

ADAPT, the Research Ireland Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology, welcomed leading researchers, policymakers, Government officials, and industry partners to Europe House for its annual flagship conference, ADVANCE.  Now in its fifth year, the theme for 2025 was Bridging the AI Gap: Driving European Innovation.  The conference underscores how Ireland’s AI ecosystem is not only contributing to cutting-edge innovation but also sits at the forefront of European digital leadership, tackling pressing societal, health and economic challenges.

The half-day conference aimed to stimulate discussion and showcase trusted roadmaps for navigating the challenges of applying cutting-edge AI safely and effectively in real-world environments.  Attendees heard how Ireland is leading on strategic research programmes that align with European priorities.

CEO of Research Ireland, Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, said: “AI is arguably the single most transformative technology in recent years. By investing in cutting-edge AI research, we not only nurture talent and skills, drive innovation, industry engagement and economic competitiveness, but also help to ensure that ethical, inclusive, and human-centred technologies are at the heart of societal progress. Research Ireland Centres such as ADAPT have been instrumental in advancing Ireland’s research and innovation ecosystem, establishing a robust model for large-scale, multi-disciplinary collaboration between academia and industry. Inclusive and expert-led fora like ADVANCE are vital for shaping the dialogue and direction of responsible AI development.”

Key Highlights from the Conference:

• In a timely fireside discussion, Meredith Whittaker, President of the Signal Foundation, and Dr Abeba Birhane, Principal Investigator for the AI Accountability Lab at Trinity College Dublin, unpicedk the opportunities and risks associated with embedding digital assistants, or AI agents, into our digital lives. 
• Meredith is a global technology leader and President of the Signal Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that develops secure, private communication technology.  With AI agents requiring unprecedented access to personal and corporate data, the balance between innovation and fundamental digital rights lies in the balance.  Drawing on recent cases where AI systems bypassed encryption protections or harvested competitive data, the conversation will explore how systems designed for productivity could also compromise user autonomy, digital sovereignty, and even platform neutrality.  With regulatory guardrails still catching up, Birhane and Whittaker debate what ‘responsible deployment’ really looks like and whether it’s still possible to put users, not platforms, back in control.
• Meredith has more than two decades of experience in industry and has worked extensively on matters of privacy and security, advising institutions such as the White House, the European Parliament and many other governments and civil society organisations on both policy direction and technical implementation.  
• International healthcare leaders, Professor Orla Hardiman, Professor of Neurology at Trinity College Dublin and Dr Bronagh Hayden, Life Sciences Medical Director, joined others to discuss Precision ALS, a collaborative research programme led by ADAPT and FutureNeuro in partnership with TRICALS, industry, and patient organisations.  Precision ALS combines clinical research with cutting-edge data science to realise the power of AI towards new drug development in Motor Neuron Disease.  This unique programme highlights Ireland’s ability to scale and lead on treatments and drug development for rare diseases, and demonstrates how industry, academia, and the health sector can collaborate across borders and in a difficult geopolitical climate to tackle pressing societal, health and economic challenges.  
• A discussion with Richard Brown from the National Cyber Security Centre, Prof Donna O’Shea, Chair of Digital Engineering at the University of Limerick, and Dr Eileen Culloty, Deputy Director of the DCU Institute for Media, Democracy, and Society, explored Ireland’s Role in Europe’s Digital Defence and how Ireland’s research, regulatory, and cybersecurity communities are  tackling escalating digital challenges, including sabotage of critical infrastructure, cyber attacks, electoral interference and disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining the values of the European Union.  This session explored Ireland’s strategic role in Europe’s digital defence and in securing Europe’s digital resilience.
• Open Source Innovation was also a focus as open source is increasingly seen as a strategic approach for Europe and critical to achieving Europe’s AI capabilities.  This session explored how embracing open source could foster innovation and democratise control of the models that will shape the ‘AI age’.  Contributors will bring a range of voices from across Ireland and the European ecosystem and include Clare Dillon, Founder of Open Ireland Network, Bastien Guerry of Software Heritage, Sarah Novotny, formerly of Microsoft, and Gar Mac Criosta of the HSE.
• Joint Research Labs and how research and industry can work together to develop sandboxes for safe and sustainable AI evaluation and adoption was explored with Eamonn Kennedy, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Newscorp, and Nicola Graham of Dublin City Council.  Organisations are facing significant administrative burdens, data processing inefficiencies, and limited multilingual service capabilities.  Traditional systems are largely manual, slow, and unable to provide real-time responsiveness, hindering optimal engagement with customers.   Digital transformation can also be constrained by regulatory complexities and cautious organisational cultures.  With the Joint Research Lab approach, significant transformations can occur swiftly and safely, and this innovative model has been recognised as an exemplar for AI adoption.
• In addition, a showcase of ADAPT’s start-up founders who are pioneering advances in AI was on show during the networking sessions.  This convergence fosters a multidisciplinary dialogue on the opportunities and challenges raised by AI for enterprise and society.

Professor John D. Kelleher, Director of ADAPT and Chair of Artificial Intelligence at Trinity College Dublin, said: “At ADAPT, our leadership in AI is founded on a collaborative spirit that brings together researchers, industry, and policymakers to drive innovation for Europe’s digital future.  As we build trustworthy pathways for AI adoption, we remain deeply committed to ensuring that every advance reflects our values of ethical responsibility and openness. 

ADVANCE 2025 forms a cornerstone of our ongoing programme, demonstrating how Ireland’s AI ecosystem delivers real societal impact by putting people, transparency, and collaboration at the heart of technological progress.”

Declan McKibben, Executive Director at ADAPT: “Ireland has an important role to play in securing Europe’s digital future. ADAPT’s cutting-edge research and applied expertise is helping Irish industry lead in the development and deployment of AI-driven technologies that align with European values, boost competitiveness, and deliver impact at scale.”

Commenting on the EU AI context, MEP Brando Benifei shared an address with the attendees.