From left: Oliver Daniels, Insight; Prof Barry O’Sullivan, Insight; Minister Richard Bruton, TD; Prof Mark Ferguson, SFI. Image: Greg M Cooper/SFI
SFI’s Insight Centre for Data Analytics has become Ireland’s first member of the Partnership on AI.
The Partnership on AI (PAI) is a multi-stakeholder organisation, representing a community of more than 80 member organisations. Its aim is to form best practices on artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, increase the public’s understanding of AI and discuss how AI affects society.
It brings together academics, AI scientists, researchers, civil society groups and leading AI companies to work towards a positive AI future.
Now, the Insight Centre for Data Analytics, an SFI research centre, has become Ireland’s first member of the organisation.
As a new member of PAI, the Insight Centre will be able to participate in the working groups that have been launched to date.
Making the announcement today (12 March), Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton, TD, said this was an important recognition of the quality of Irish research in the area of AI.
“PAI membership helps us to mould this power into channels which enhance the wellbeing of all our people,” he said.
‘One-of-a-kind community’
Julia Rhodes Davis is the director of partnerships at PAI. She said in order to maximise the opportunities and identify the risks of AI, it’s important to bring together those that build AI technology as well as those that will be affected by it.
“The Partnership on AI is assembling a one-of-a-kind community of diverse, global voices to study and formulate best practices on AI technologies, to advance the public’s understanding of AI, and to serve as an open platform for debate about AI and its impact on people and society,” she said.
“We are proud to welcome the Insight Centre for Data Analytics as a new partner as we continue our work towards these goals.”
Founding director of the Insight Centre and now PAI representative Prof Barry O’Sullivan said the impacts of AI will be more far-reaching than any other technology we have seen to date. “The socioeconomic challenges are significant and deserve a multi-stakeholder, alliance-based approach. This is what is so unique and exciting about the Partnership on AI,” he said.
“Insight has a longstanding, world-class scientific reputation in AI, and takes its responsibilities in terms of appropriate policy and ethical development very seriously. We really look forward to working with the PAI.”
New wearable fitness tests for elite athletes
Along with its new PAI membership, the Insight Centre has also announced the launch of a new sports technology that uses machine learning to shrink the pro-athlete analysis laboratory to the size of a wearable sensor system.
The Insight Centre, in partnership with spin-out company Output Sports, has developed this new technology after more than five years of research, bringing a new level of efficiency and accuracy to athlete performance optimisation processes in the form of a portable wearable.
These announcements join an abundance of other Science Foundation Ireland news today, including the winners of this year’s St Patrick’s Day Science Medal and a US-Ireland collaboration worth €1.7m.
