A gathering of global tech experts has been told that the Irish are well-placed to influence the future direction of the AI revolution, according to the Irish Echo newspaper.
Opening AICON Silicon Valley at Stanford University on Thursday, May 22, Ireland’s Consul General in San Francisco, Micheál Smith said “Irish people, north and south, are helping shape the future of technology.”
He added: “From coding labs to venture capital firms, from startups to global tech companies, Irish innovators are solving real world challenges and leading transformation. Many are based here in the Bay Area, and many are in the room today. Their ambition, creativity and global perspective are among Ireland’s greatest strengths.”
AICON Silicon Valley, organised by Belfast-based Aisling Events, was billed as an Irish Roundtable in the Valley and heard from Irish American leaders in the tech industry including Gearóid O’Brien, Chief Data Scientist at YouTube, Mike Hurst of Turbine Finance, Stanford Advisory Board member Suzanne Gibbs Howard and TTV Capital Partner Lizzie Hartley. Among representatives from Ireland at the conference were Aoife Ní Riain of Salaso Health, and Paddy Hannigan of Atlantic Technological University in Donegal.
Consul General Smith said the Irish government had laid strong foundations for AI engagement and development.
“Ireland has built a resilient and human centered AI ecosystem,” he said.
“We were among the first to introduce an industry-led national MSC in Artificial Intelligence. Today, there are nearly 2,000 masters graduates in AI-related fields emerging from our institutions each year. We have embedded AI into our broader national strategy for economic transformation, but we know we must move faster and with greater urgency.”
Acknowledging the strong presence of tech leaders from Belfast at the conference – including from chief sponsor Kainos, Options IT and Unosquare as well as Queen’s University, the Consul General said the case for “a cohesive all-island economy has never been stronger.”
Among those attending were Eve Purcell and Ryan Ballantine from Options IT, Andy Wright from Kainos and Judith Millar from Momentum One Zero at QUB.
“In 2023, cross border trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic exceeded €15 billion, Seven times higher higher than at the time of the Good Friday Agreement,” he said.
“Supply chains across the island are increasingly integrated, making the island of Ireland one of the most interconnected economic zones in the world. Enhanced cooperation between government departments and shared institutions continues to strengthen this trajectory. The Irish government’s Shared Island Initiative is deepening this economic and infrastructural integration. With €2 billion committed out to 2035…this is not symbolic investment, it is strategic, building both regional equity and long term resilience.”