ADAPT Radio

The ADAPT Centre

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ADAPT, the world-leading SFI Research Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology, brings leading academics, researchers and industry partners together to deliver excellent science, engage the public, develop novel solutions for business across all sectors and enhance Ireland’s international reputation.

OCT 6

Sea-Scan Maritime AI Technology

Ireland's territorial waters are among Europe's largest, yet monitoring this vast maritime expanse for unauthorized vessels, environmental threats, and infrastructure protection remains an enormous challenge with current surveillance technologies. Professor Marco Ruffini and Dr. John Kennedy from Trinity College Dublin have developed Sea-Scan, a revolutionary system that transforms existing undersea telecommunications cables into comprehensive acoustic monitoring networks. Using distributed acoustic sensing and AI, their technology can detect and classify vessels across hundreds of kilometers of ocean using just one land-based device. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● Transforming existing fiber optic cables into underwater sensor networks ● AI detection of "dark vessels" that disable identification beacons ● Unique acoustic signatures for different vessel classifications ● Marine ecosystem monitoring and shipping noise impact assessment ● Real-time infrastructure protection from accidental damage ● Cost-effective surveillance across Ireland's vast territorial waters GUEST DETAILS Professor Marco Ruffini is Associate Professor and Fellow of Trinity College Dublin and Principal Investigator of both the CONNECT Telecommunications Research Centre and the IPIC Photonics Integration Centre. He specializes in optical network architecture at the Department of Computer Science and Statistics, focusing on converged metro/access network architecture, long-reach passive optical networks, and inter-data center connectivity. His expertise spans over two decades in optical communications and fiber sensing technologies. Dr. John Kennedy is Associate Professor in Vibrations, Acoustics and Dynamics at Trinity College Dublin. His current research centers on the use of advanced additive manufacturing techniques to design and fabricate novel acoustic metamaterials for environmental noise control. His research focuses on acoustics, noise control, aeroacoustics, additive manufacturing, and metamaterials, making him uniquely positioned to interpret underwater acoustic signals. MORE INFORMATION You can learn more about the Sea-Scan project and other cutting-edge research at Trinity College Dublin's ADAPT Centre here: www.adaptcentre.ie/ Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the ADAPT Centre QUOTES Having this many sensors in this environment helps us monitor activity that's happening in our waters. - John Kennedy Just by placing one device at one end of the fiber, I had a microphone every meter, so I can get a different sound every meter for all the 100 kilometers just with one device at one end. - Marco Ruffini This technology gives you a kind of unparalleled resolution of sensors underwater. It allows you to investigate questions that you know are very important for various different reasons. - John Kennedy You won't believe how often fiber gets cut due to digging... you could detect the noise of the vehicle that's trying to dig, and you could contact them, maybe 10 to 15 minutes in advance. - Marco Ruffini One of the exciting things about working in acoustics is that it sort of touches all aspects of human activity and also our daily lives." - John Kennedy KEYWORDS #distributedacousticsensing #marinesurveillance #fiberoptics #underwateracoustics #AImonitoring

25 min
SEP 1

Vacant No More: AI and the Future of Irish Buildings

Ireland is facing a housing crisis, and yet countless buildings sit empty and unused. In this episode of Adapt Radio, Dr. Clare O’Connell speaks with Dr. Philip Crowe and Milo Dennehy from University College Dublin about a bold, AI-driven project to map and tackle building vacancy across the country. Discover why data on empty buildings is so patchy, how new tech could unlock hidden opportunities for homes and communities, and why solving this puzzle means more than just better spreadsheets. From town centre revitalisation to the surprising power of open data, this conversation explores how AI might help Ireland turn vacancy into vibrant possibility. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● Why Ireland’s empty buildings are so hard to track ● How AI and data science are changing the vacancy game ● The challenges, and surprises, of sharing property data ● What Ireland can learn from France, Philadelphia, and beyond ● Transforming vacant spaces into vibrant communities GUEST DETAILS Dr Philip Crowe is UCD Assistant Professor for Climate Responsive Design at the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy (APEP) and the School of Civil Engineering. He is the Director of Research at UCD APEP, co-director of the UCD Centre for Irish Towns, and Programme Director of the MSc in Architecture, Urbanism and Climate Action. Philip teaches in areas relating to carbon management, sustainability, urban resilience and urban ethics. As a researcher, he is working on a range of EU and nationally funded projects relating to town revitalisation, vacancy and adaptive reuse, compact urban growth, and citizen participation in processes of change. Philip’s background is in architecture, and he was previously Director of Sustainable Design at M.CO (Dublin) from 2003-2012. Milo Dennehy is a Research Assistant in the School of Computer Science. Milo is a current student in the BSc City Planning and Environmental Policy programme, set to graduate in 2025. Before joining Building Stories, Milo was a research assistant in the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy at UCD. His research interests are in building geospatial tools that leverage machine learning and remote sensing techniques to enhance capacity and reduce the barriers to access to geospatial technology for local actors. MORE INFORMATION You can learn more about your AI Literacy in the Classroom here: https://ai-literacy-in-the-classroom.adaptcentre.ie/ Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/ QUOTES We don’t actually know what we’re dealing with—how do you manage your built environment without reliable, dynamic data? – Dr Philip Crowe It shocked me how much decision-making still relies on throwing darts at the map and manual guesswork – Milo Dennehy If you aggregate all these data sets together, you’ve got something incredibly powerful to solve the housing crisis – Dr Philip Crowe AI lets us see what’s missing in the data—and predict what’s possible for Ireland’s empty buildings. – Milo Dennehy The real challenge isn’t technical—it’s about building trust and a culture of sharing data for the public good. – Dr Philip Crowe KEYWORDS #AI #VacantBuildings #IrelandHousing #DataScience #UrbanRevitalisation #SmartCities #OpenData #HousingCrisis #PropertyData #CommunityImpact #TownCentres #DataGovernance #SustainableCities #Innovation #TechForGood

36 min
JUN 27

Digital Propaganda: How AI is Reshaping Public Discourse

Claire O'Connell hosts a discussion on AI and digital propaganda with media historians Nelson Riviero and Professor Aphra Kerr. They highlight the prevalence and hyper-personalisation of digital propaganda, which polarises public discourse and undermines democracy. AI accelerates the creation and dissemination of disinformation, often targeting specific demographics. Recent events in Ireland and Spain exemplify this, with false narratives spreading rapidly. Both experts stress the need for media literacy, early education, and regulatory action to combat this threat. They also discuss the role of universities in training students in both tech and ethics, and the importance of a multi-faceted approach to counter digital propaganda effectively. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● AI's Role in Digital Propaganda ● Impact on Democratic Processes ● Media Literacy and Education ● Targeted Disinformation Strategies ● Regulation and Platform Accountability GUEST DETAILS Aphra Kerr is Full Professor of Digital Media & Communication and a senior adviser at the UCD Centre for Digital Policy. She is an adjunct Professor of Sociology at Maynooth University and a co-PI at the ADAPT Research Ireland Centre for AI and Digital Content Technology. Vice-Rector for Transformation, Collaboration and International Affairs at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Dr. Ribeiro coordinates the Doctoral Program in Communication Sciences and the research group “Media Narratives and Cultural Memory” at the Center for Communication and Culture Studies ( CECC). He was the Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences between 2016 and 2025 MORE INFORMATION You can learn more about your AI Literacy in the Classroom here: https://ai-literacy-in-the-classroom.adaptcentre.ie/ Adapt Radio is produced by https://dustpod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie QUOTES Negative content often drives engagement, and then the algorithms will actually boost that even more - Professor Aphra Kerr The role that AI is playing… is that it actually helps speed up the process of creating propaganda content. - Professor Nelson Ribero Younger generations… they know how to use those tools, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they understand how those tools work. - Professor Nelson Ribero You can’t fight propaganda with propaganda — you fight propaganda with education and media literacy. - Professor Nelson Ribero Media literacy isn’t about blaming individuals — it’s about equipping people to navigate a complex digital world. - Professor Aphra Kerr KEYWORDS #DigitalPropaganda #AIDisinformation #MediaLiteracy #AlgorithmManipulation #ElectionInterference #SocialMedia #TargetedMessaging #TechnologicalEthics #Democracy #Misinformation

40 min
JUN 1

Explainable AI in Action: From Tutors to Health Tech

Every day, AI systems influence how we learn, shop, and make decisions—but to truly support us, AI must communicate in ways tailored to who we are as individuals. In this episode, we share a keynote speech from the ADAPT Annual Scientific Conference that explores Explainable AI and its potential to personalize user experiences. The talk discusses how AI can adapt explanations to users’ unique traits and moment-to-moment states, improving trust and understanding. It highlights real-world applications in intelligent tutoring systems, recommender platforms, and healthcare technologies, illustrating how human-centered AI is reshaping interactions. Join us as we explore the future of AI that not only acts intelligently but also connects meaningfully with each user. Our guest speaker is Professor of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, Cristina Conati, a pioneer in user modeling, personalization, and explainable AI. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● Evolving from generic systems to human-centred AI ● Unlocking personalization through multimodal signals ● Improving user trust, engagement, and learning outcomes ● Real-World applications from intelligent tutoring systems to healthcare technologies ● Complexities and ethical considerations of delivery GUEST DETAILS Professor Cristina Conati is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Milan and both a Master’s and Ph.D. in Intelligent Systems from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research lies at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and Cognitive Science, focusing on creating intelligent systems that adapt to individual users' needs. Professor Conati has over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has received multiple Best Paper Awards. She is an ACM Distinguished Member and an AAAI Senior Member. https://www.cs.ubc.ca/people/cristina-conati MORE INFORMATION You can learn more about your AI Literacy in the Classroom here: https://ai-literacy-in-the-classroom.adaptcentre.ie/ Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/ QUOTES In order to have this AI driven personalization during interaction, what needs to be done is to establish what we call the AI driven personalization loop. - Cristina Conati We're working towards creating intelligent systems that can understand to whom, when and how, to provide explanations of their behaviors. - Cristina Conati The explanation should be designed so that a user can choose at what level of detail to go deeper. - Cristina Conati It would be important to look at different user characteristics that might impact, like user reading proficiency or abilities to process visual information. - Cristina Conati It’s super important to understand interplay between explanations and under or over reliance with AI. - Cristina Conati KEYWORDS #HumancenteredAI #explainableAI #usermodels #multimodal #learning #health

1 hr
MAY 6

Empowering Cancer Patients with AI

How many times have you gone to the doctor and then on the way home from the appointment, realized there were things that you forgot to ask about? Today, we hear about an AI-powered platform that helps patients record questions and quality-of-life issues ahead of time to support more effective consultations. Currently being trialled with cancer patients, we hear how the system integrates with electronic health records, improves patient engagement, and has the potential to cut clinician workload in half. Our guest is a seasoned expert in digitising patient care with over 25 years of experience in clinical and research settings. We’re delighted to welcome CEO of eAltra, Denis Roche. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● The role of AI in enhancing patient communication ● Human-centreed design and clinical insight in ai development ● Technical integration with electronic health records (EHR) ● Real-world testing and impact on clinical workflows ● Incorporating wearable and environmental data GUEST DETAILS Denis Roche is the CEO and founder of eAltra, a Trinity College Dublin spinout developing conversational AI to support cancer care. With over 25 years of experience in digitising patient pathways, Denis brings deep expertise in cognitive computing and data analytics. His clinical insights, gained from working in leading healthcare settings, have driven eAltra’s mission to address global under-capacity in cancer care. Under his leadership, the company has secured Enterprise Ireland funding and won Best Emerging AI at Spark Crowdfunding’s Top 100 Awards. https://www.eAltra.com/ MORE INFORMATION You can learn more about your AI Literacy in the Classroom here: https://ai-literacy-in-the-classroom.adaptcentre.ie/ Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie QUOTES It's really just to combine the information source with the accessibility, making it more powerful. - Denis Roche What we're trying to do at eAltra is to equip the patient as best as we can. Give them the information that they need, in the way that they want it, at the time that they need it. - Denis Roche We're trying to create somewhere that patients can come and know that it's safe and it's private. - Denis Roche The hospital teams think it's going to bring the time they spend down by about 50%. - Denis Roche It feeds into streamlining or improving the patient scheduling process. - Denis Roche KEYWORDS #AI #technology #cancer #healthcare #EHR #clinicaltrials #patient #data #digitalhealth

20 min
APR 1

Facial Recognition: Innovation or Invasion?

Facial recognition technology is becoming a routine part of daily life, from unlocking phones to assisting law enforcement. But as its use expands, so do the ethical and legal dilemmas it presents. Today we dive into the mechanics of facial recognition technology—how it works, its limitations, and the biases it can reinforce. From government policies to legal frameworks, and the importance of public awareness in shaping the future of AI-powered surveillance, we break down the pressing issues surrounding this technology. Joining us are two experts who are working to promote awareness and caution around FRT. They are Assistant Professor at Maynooth University’s School of Law and Criminology, Dr. Ciara Bracken-Roche, and Senior Policy Officer at ICCL and coordinator of the International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations, Olga Cronin. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● The rise of facial recognition technology in everyday life and law enforcement ● Concerns about ethics, flaws and AI bias in FRT ● Examining government policies, legal challenges, and human rights issues ● Potential dangers and misuse of mass surveillance ● Engaging society to critically think through creative mediums GUEST DETAILS Dr. Ciara Bracken-Roche is an Assistant Professor in the School of Law and Criminology at Maynooth University, and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa. She completed her PhD (Queen's University), MA (Warwick), and BSc (Toronto). Ciara's current line of research explores the adoption and use of drones and other surveillance technologies in Canada and Ireland by policing and public safety agencies. https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/people/ciara-bracken-roche Olga Cronin is a Senior Policy Officer of Enforce and the coordinator of the International Network of Civil Liberties Organisations (INCLO). She is focused on facial recognition technology, encryption, state surveillance, privacy and data protection. Her work to date, with academics and other NGOs, helped prevent use of the powerful mass surveillance without pre-legislative scrutiny or debate. She also leads ICCL’s work on several EU proposals, including the EU ‘ChatControl’ proposal which could mandate unprecedented mass surveillance of all public and private digital communications. She is leading several complaints to the Data Protection Commission. https://www.iccl.ie/staff/olga-cronin/ MORE INFORMATION You can learn more about your AI Literacy in the Classroom here: https://ai-literacy-in-the-classroom.adaptcentre.ie/ Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/ KEYWORDS #AI #facialrecognition #biometric #data #humanrights #masssurveillance #AIAdvisoryCouncil

44 min
MAR 3

AI Literacy in the Classroom

AI is transforming education at an unprecedented pace, which means teachers need to think closely about how to harness the power of AI. In this episode we learn about a new initiative that aims to help teachers navigate AI to better education, rather than hinder it. We hear how AI is already impacting classrooms across the world, from technical worries to ethical concerns, and how educational content and assessment can be adjusted to embrace rapidly evolving technologies. Our guests are two experts involved in the new AI Literacy in the Classroom initiative. They are Head of Education, Engagement and Societal Impact at ADAPT, Laura Grehan, and Associate Professor of Digital Learning at Dublin City University, Dr Eamon Costello. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● How AI is impacting education for both teachers and students ● Overview of the AI Literacy in the Classroom Initiative ● Where AI has practical uses in education ● Addressing biases and ethical considerations in AI ● Future-proofing for technology advancements with AI literacy GUEST DETAILS Laura Grehan is Head of Education, Engagement and Societal Impact at ADAPT and a member of the ADAPT Executive Management Committee. ADAPT’s EPE programme has been reviewed internationally as being “outstanding”, and the ADAPT EPE team was awarded a DCU President’s Staff Recognition Award 2021 in recognition of its exceptional work. Under Laura’s leadership, ADAPT has won over €1.5m in funding for EPE projects at national and international level. Some of these projects have won international awards recognising their high quality and an exemplary pivot to online delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.adaptcentre.ie/experts/laura-grehan/ Dr Costello is an Associate professor of Digital Learning at Dublin City University and an accomplished teacher, researcher and public speaker. He is deeply curious about how we learn in different environments and is known as a creative and innovative communicator. He is concerned with how we actively shape our world so that we can have better and more humane places in which to think, work, live and learn. He is an advocate of using the right tool for the job or sometimes none at all, for not everything can be fixed or should be built. https://www.dcu.ie/stemeducationinnovationglobalstudies/people/eamon-costello MORE INFORMATION You can learn more about your AI Literacy in the Classroom here: https://ai-literacy-in-the-classroom.adaptcentre.ie/ Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/ KEYWORDS #AI #literacy #education #generativeAI # teachertraining #criticalthinking #biases #ethics

29 min
FEB 3

Preserving Your Digital Legacy

Many of our daily interactions are reliant on the processing of personal data from emails, to social media, our phones and SMART devices. What happens to that data after we die? Although many of us don’t like to think about it, we will leave behind a huge digital footprint with data that could be useful to future generations. Today we hear how AI can help shape our digital legacy and how digital literacy can improve management, preservation and access to the data that outlives us. Our guest is an expert in human data interactions and PhD candidate at University College Dublin, School of Information and Communication Studies, Danny Snow. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● The digital legacy we leave after death ● Complications of ownership and access ● Uses of posthumous data including medical research ● How AI can shape digital legacies and mass data collection ● Data donor cards and design in digital footprints GUEST DETAILS Danny Snow is a PhD candidate at University College Dublin, School of Information and Communication Studies, and Danny is looking at human data interactions and AI and that includes exploring the concept of digital literacy and examining how digital content is managed, preserved and accessed after a person dies. https://ie.linkedin.com/in/danny-snow-1583931a3 MORE INFORMATION You can learn more about your digital data legacy at https://datadonorcard.org/ Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/ QUOTES In more recent history, the volume of data is related to a specific period of time, whereas as we move forward, it's likely to relate to the entirety of someone's life. - Danny Snow Personal data, even when alive, doesn't relate just to you. It relates to your family, anyone you're interacting with, anyone you're in the same location as, and it's the aggregation of that data that is important. - Danny Snow The legal protections around posthumous data aren't the same. - Danny Snow AI has the potential for recognizing these patterns, that in such a large volume that may not otherwise be recognizable. - Danny Snow One of the big issues is that we don't necessarily understand what our digital footprint encompasses. - Danny Snow KEYWORDS #Digital #legacy #AI #data #ethical #digitalfootprint #privacy

23 min

ADAPT, the world-leading SFI Research Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology, brings leading academics, researchers and industry partners together to deliver excellent science, engage the public, develop novel solutions for business across all sectors and enhance Ireland’s international reputation.

Creator

The ADAPT Centre
Years Active

2020 - 2025
Episodes

79
Rating

Clean
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ADAPT Radio