2025 is International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. Joining TechCentral.ie editor Niall Kitson to discuss the state of the art are Marc O’Regan, EMEA CTO, Dell Technologies Ireland; Deirdre Kilbane, Director of Research, The Walton Institute; Donal Óg McCarthy, EMEA cloud and application security lead, Accenture; John Woods, CTO, The Algorand Foundation; John O'Donoghue, Equinix senior global solutions architect, and Prof Felix Binder, assistant professor in Quantum Science, School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin.

TechCentral.ie Webinar: The quantum computing challenge

Could Ireland manage a massive blackout like Spain and Portugal endured this week? We also see how Big Tech has been getting on with the Trump administration after 100 days in office, and Amazon's plan to offer satellite broadband.

Rant show: Going dark

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

Empowering Cancer Patients with AI

This week we’re looking at which professions are considered 'AI-proof', the potential benefits and concerns around Google's new Gemini Kids AI homework helper, plus the fascinating story behind SpaceX's Starbase City and the strategic reasons for its unusual development.

We also get an insider's look at how a digital twin has revolutionised the Sandyford Business District with CEO Ger Corbett.

Sandyford Business District's Ger Corbett on building better spaces

This week, Niall and Dusty talk about Samsung's thinnest-ever smartphone which delivers the same powerhouse camera as the Ultra but in a dramatically slimmer package. Is extreme thinness the future, or just a gimmick?

We continue to monitor Big Tech's stealth layoff strategy where Microsoft's performance improvement plans are actually targeting 6,000 jobs and what this means for your career. Plus the EU could be causing an online advertising earthquake by outlawing how cookies work.

In this week's interview we dive into a fascinating conversation about how creative industries might actually learn to embrace AI with Dr Martin Clancy.

Meet Samsung's S25 Edge: the slimmest smartphone ever

This week we have new AI announcements from Google I/O and Microsoft Build, Bitcoin hits a new high and Elon Musk says goodbye to the world of politics. Plus, Barry Scannell from William Fry explains how to stay on the right side of the EU AI Act.

I/O, I/O, it’s off to work we go

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


Explainable AI in Action: From Tutors to Health Tech

This week Niall and Dusty talk about how the Irish Council for Civil Liberties is taking on Microsoft; the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition gets a new title sponsor; we learn what a 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' is; and ask what's next for Elon Musk as he departs the White House.
Later, Ashley Casovan, managing director of the AI Governance Centre at the International Association of Privacy Professionals, talks about making policy and using open data to make better public services.

IAPP's Ashley Casovan on how best to manage data

This week we have the beginning of the end of the Trump/Musk alliance, Nintendo drops the Switch 2 console, and we have two copyright cases that could define the future of AI. We also meet Rebecca Barford-Ryan to talk about the upcoming Women in Data Science Regional Conference.

Rebecca Barford-Ryan on Women in Data Science

This week we have the highs and lows of WWDC 2025, find out Ireland’s favourite AI and Nasa’s goes all quiet on social media.

Plus, we talk with three start-up founders about how their companies are exploring the boundaries of sustainability.

Was WWDC 25 about keeping up appearances?

Technology news from Ireland to the world

Was WWDC 25 about keeping up appearances?

Tech Radio Ireland

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