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It is only by aligning AI with human values, that we can create a future where technology serves as a force for good and not as a potential danger to revolutionise many industries – and perhaps even make some obsolete – it also poses serious challenges, particularly when it comes to the potential for the technology to be used dishonestly or maliciously. One of the major challenges posed by generative AI is the potential for it to be used to create fake content that can be used to spread disinformation or manipulate public opinion. This has important implications for everything from protecting our democracy to maintaining our academic values, and so it is essential that we develop tools and techniques that can help detect, mitigate and defend against the threats posed by these technologies and ADAPT has been at the forefront of this work. Another challenge is in the area of healthcare. Healthcare systems and providers have historically been impeded by legacy IT systems and regulations that stunt innovation and change. However, the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the sector to become more agile and embrace digital transformation and AI to meet the demands faced by the healthcare ecosystem. Drawing on Trinity’s broad expertise, ADAPT’s research is helping to show how data-driven decision-making can become the foundation for reducing costs, enhancing operational efficiency, delivering better engagement, and improving health outcomes. Everyone can see that change is coming and ADAPT’s multidisciplinary research is helping make that change possible in a way that benefits humanity and saves lives. This summer, ADAPT held its annual ADVANCE event in June 2023. Marking its third year, the forum brought together world-renowned academics and industry experts on AI who exchanged ideas and insights as well as the latest research findings. Focusing on the commotion caused by generative AI, the event took place in Trinity and addressed the transformative opportunities of the technology along with the great challenges being faced by industries. Viewed as the most significant platform in Ireland to discuss the future of AI research, it was widely praised for showcasing Trinity’s leading role in AI development, education and ethics, and for opening the door to a range of possible industry collaborations. Following on from the inspirational leadership of Professor Vinny Wade, ADAPT is currently recruiting a new Professorial Chair of Computer Science (2016) and Director of the Centre. This person will play a strategic role in shaping research internationally and draw on the broad expertise at Trinity and across ADAPT’s partner institutions to realise AI’s potential and lead the conversation on ethics, law and fairness in AI. As Professor Dave Lewis of the School of Computer Science and Statistics in Trinity, and current Director of ADAPT has noted: ‘AI has the potential to empower individuals and communities, enhance our decision-making capabilities, and tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges. But it is only by aligning AI with human values, that we can create a future where technology serves as a force for good and not as a potential danger.’ Through its research, ADAPT and the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity is ensuring that AI is used in a way that is responsible, transparent, and ethical, something that will be increasingly important in the years ahead.
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Making Ireland a world leader in Cerebral Palsy care The international Cerebral Palsy Foundation is launching a Programme of Excellence to revolutionise Cerebral Palsy (CP) care in Ireland via new research and clinical hubs in Trinity, University College Cork and Royal College of Surgeons Ireland. Trinity Today speaks to Foundation board member and Trinity graduate Lily Collison, Natural Science (1979) about transforming the lives of people with CP, and her journey as a mother and advocate W hen Lily Collison’s third child, Tommy, was born, his crying seemed ‘at a different pitch.’ She was reassured by the paediatrician but when Tommy didn’t hit his physical milestones, she looked for a diagnosis. Tommy was diagnosed with cerebral palsy soon after his first birthday, a year earlier than the average age of CP diagnoses in Ireland. Cerebral Palsy, or CP, is an umbrella term for a group of lifelong conditions that affect movement and co-ordination, caused by a brain injury during pregnancy, around birth or in the early years. It is the most common childhood-acquired physical disability, but in the 1990s, when Tommy was diagnosed, there was little information available, either in Ireland or internationally. Lily set about informing herself, helped by her background in science and education – she has a degree in Natural Science from Trinity. Early diagnosis meant Tommy could access the therapies he needed, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, in a timely way. Lily explains that ‘early intervention is essential because a child’s brain has neuroplasticity to allow it to rewire and retrain’. She was happy with the therapies he received in Ireland but knew he would need specialist orthopaedic surgery: ‘He needed complex multilevel surgery to his hip, knees and feet, a total of 13 procedures. I knew from my research that single-event, multilevel surgery was best practice, but this wasn’t, and still largely isn’t, available in Ireland, with the child typically undergoing a few operations over a number of years.’ Research led her to the Gillette Children’s Hospital in Minnesota where Tommy was operated on, aged nine, followed by intensive rehabilitation. Lily had been told in Ireland that he would probably be in a wheelchair by his late teens, but today his disability is almost unnoticeable and Tommy leads a fully active life working with Retool, a technology company, in San Francisco.
