ENAIBLER kicks-off to upskill our public sector on using AI
Interreg Europe funded ENAIBLER “Enabling AI-driven public sector” kicks-off in Donegal, Ireland on the 29th and 30th of March.
The ENAIBLER project aims to enable regional and local public sector organisations to adopt artificial intelligence (Al) as an effective way of supporting them in their task of digitally transforming their territories. By bringing the partnership together for the first time, the team has set-up the foundations for a successful cooperation project. “The ENAIBLER PROJECT is very pertinent as it is starting in the midst of an accelerating AI revolution with an explosion of AI tools, solutions and accompanying concerns on how it is employed and its socio-economic impact. We aim to use the project to help unlock the benefits of AI balanced with ethical, fairness and safety considerations and to empower the public sector to be an early adopter of AI” explains Dr Margaret Quinn, ERNACT Programme Manager and ENAIBLER project leader.
The kick-off meeting also served to discuss the most immediate actions that will serve as a basis for the project’s capacity building programme on using AI. The partners are starting to exchange knowledge, getting familiar with artificial intelligence, and trying it to explore the potential of AI in public services and related ethics, privacy and transparency considerations.
Showcasing Northwest of Ireland’s research in AI
As part of the two-day programme, lead partner ERNACT showcased some exciting local AI projects from researchers from the Atlantic Technological University Letterkenny campus. They presented AI research on cybersecurity, river pollution detection, healthcare and environment use cases which can be relevant for the provision and improvement of local public services in the near future.
Agustin Garcia Pereira from the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics in University of Galway joined online to share their experience in the ERNACT led EMERGREEN project. This involved creation of an AI powered chatbot for Derry City and Strabane District Council named RIA that now provides 24/7 information on recycling and waste management to citizens.
Attendees also had the opportunity to learn about ground-breaking AI research projects from Professor Michaela Black of the Intelligent Systems Research Centre (ISRC), Ulster University. Michaela explained the multi-disciplinary AI ecosystem of ISRC along with an impressive body of work including a Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation Programme funded MIDAS Project transforming healthcare policymaking across Europe. Also highlighted were AI powered projects for mental health, lung cancer impact assessment, personalised healthcare monitoring and products for people with dementia.
Dr Margaret Quinn added “This gathering has revealed that there are excellent foundations of AI research capability here, a key enabler for AI uptake and benefits to our region”.
Stay tuned for more updates on the ENAIBLER project!