Bank of Ireland has launched a new hybrid working hub in Galway. The hub, based in Dockgate, Galway City provides hot desks and meeting rooms for Bank of Ireland colleagues throughout the region or visiting from other areas.

Depending on their role, most Bank of Ireland colleagues can work from a combination of home, central office locations, as well as a network of hybrid working hubs. The additional hub in Galway complements 12 other Bank of Ireland hybrid working hubs in Balbriggan, Ballycoolin, Dundalk, Gorey, Limerick, Mullingar, Naas, Newbridge, Newlands Cross, Northern Cross, Santry and Swords.

Speaking at the launch of the new Galway hub, Mayor of Galway City, Councillor Eddie Hoare said: “There are huge benefits to remote and hybrid working, with less commuting, lower costs, stronger communities, and more time for family and leisure. I have said before that the role of Galway City Council is to promote a positive-working environment to ensure maximum benefits for the people of Galway.

“When it is managed well, hybrid working is a win-win for companies and employees and I’m delighted to see Bank of Ireland Galway taking such a proactive approach. I’m sure this new hub will be a welcome support for Bank of Ireland staff in the area or visiting Galway from other parts of the country.”

Bank of Ireland Group Chief Executive Myles O’ Grady said: “We have transformed what it is like to work at Bank of Ireland and our new hybrid working hub in Galway is a very tangible example of that. This new hub in Galway offers workspace for those who may base themselves in the West of Ireland or other colleagues who may be travelling to Galway for business.

“For our colleagues, the hybrid model offers enhanced flexibility and choice, blending home and office working for a better work-life balance. For Bank of Ireland, opening flexible hubs in large regional centres means that we can attract the best talent from across the country.”

A survey with Bank of Ireland colleagues showed that 65% feel the enhanced flexibility is providing more time to spend with family. 54% of Bank of Ireland colleagues have saved money due to the Bank’s hybrid working model, while 26% feel they have more flexibility as to where they can live.

See more stories here.

Bank of Ireland has launched a new hybrid working hub in Galway. The hub, based in Dockgate, Galway City provides hot desks and meeting rooms for Bank of Ireland colleagues throughout the region or visiting from other areas.

Depending on their role, most Bank of Ireland colleagues can work from a combination of home, central office locations, as well as a network of hybrid working hubs. The additional hub in Galway complements 12 other Bank of Ireland hybrid working hubs in Balbriggan, Ballycoolin, Dundalk, Gorey, Limerick, Mullingar, Naas, Newbridge, Newlands Cross, Northern Cross, Santry and Swords.

Speaking at the launch of the new Galway hub, Mayor of Galway City, Councillor Eddie Hoare said: “There are huge benefits to remote and hybrid working, with less commuting, lower costs, stronger communities, and more time for family and leisure. I have said before that the role of Galway City Council is to promote a positive-working environment to ensure maximum benefits for the people of Galway.

“When it is managed well, hybrid working is a win-win for companies and employees and I’m delighted to see Bank of Ireland Galway taking such a proactive approach. I’m sure this new hub will be a welcome support for Bank of Ireland staff in the area or visiting Galway from other parts of the country.”

Bank of Ireland Group Chief Executive Myles O’ Grady said: “We have transformed what it is like to work at Bank of Ireland and our new hybrid working hub in Galway is a very tangible example of that. This new hub in Galway offers workspace for those who may base themselves in the West of Ireland or other colleagues who may be travelling to Galway for business.

“For our colleagues, the hybrid model offers enhanced flexibility and choice, blending home and office working for a better work-life balance. For Bank of Ireland, opening flexible hubs in large regional centres means that we can attract the best talent from across the country.”

A survey with Bank of Ireland colleagues showed that 65% feel the enhanced flexibility is providing more time to spend with family. 54% of Bank of Ireland colleagues have saved money due to the Bank’s hybrid working model, while 26% feel they have more flexibility as to where they can live.

See more stories here.

More about Irish Tech News

Irish Tech News are Ireland’s No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland’s No.1 Tech Podcast too.

You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here:

If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at [email protected] now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience.

You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Guest post by Stephen Dombroski, Director of Food and Beverage Markets, QAD

In recent years, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed numerous industries, and the food and beverage manufacturing sector is no exception. AI technologies are revolutionizing the way food and beverage products are produced, improving efficiency, quality control, and overall operations. From streamlining production processes to enhancing food safety, AI is reshaping the industry and setting new standards for the future.

Why Artificial Intelligence can be transformative in Food Manufacturing

AI in food and beverage manufacturing is the ability to use expert data coming from a number of different sources, either through the different AI apps or other types of data avenues, that is utilized by people throughout the entire ecosystem to make the process of manufacturing food more efficient, more cost effective, and easier and more accessible.

Every piece of data of any kind is useful in some way to every process up and downstream throughout the supply and value chains of any food and beverage manufacturer. Therefore, the value chain in food manufacturing begins with the farmers. For example, going to the furthest upstream process using the analogy of the Mississippi River, a person could easily walk across the stream of the river at its origins–the very start of the food supply chain the Mississippi River is a farmer.

In order to make tomato ketchup, the very start of it is the farmer that plants tomato plants and grows those tomatoes. So AI, for the farmer could mean anything that could help that farmer get a better crop yield. However, AI helps much more in food manufacturing than sourcing. In fact, there are five areas where AI can really help the food industry:

Supply chain optimization

Another area where AI is transforming food and beverage manufacturing is in supply chain optimization. AI algorithms can analyze complex data sets, including consumer demand, market trends, and inventory levels, to optimize production planning and inventory management. This enables manufacturers to respond more efficiently to changing market demands, reduce stock outs or overstocking, and minimize waste. AI-powered predictive analytics can forecast future demand patterns, allowing manufacturers to adjust production accordingly and optimize their resources.

Regardless if a manufacturer specializes in fresh foods, shelf stable foods, or frozen foods, the entire market begins as fresh products. Like the tomato farmer example, AI can be used to determine crop yields, optimal temperature and soil, as well as monitoring pests and relaying ideal fertilizers.

Quality control

One of the key areas where AI is making a profound impact is in quality control and inspection. Traditionally, human inspectors have played a crucial role in ensuring that food and beverage products meet strict quality standards. However, this process is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and subject to human error. With AI, computer vision systems equipped with machine learning algorithms can accurately and rapidly inspect products, identifying defects or abnormalities that may be missed by the human eye. This technology not only improves the overall quality of products but also reduces waste and lowers costs.

Furthermore, AI is significantly enhancing food safety measures in the manufacturing process. Contamination and foodborne illnesses are major concerns in the industry. AI-powered systems can analyze vast amounts of data to identify potential risks, track ingredients and products throughout the supply chain, and detect patterns that indicate potential safety hazards. By leveraging AI, manufacturers can implement proactive measures to prevent foodborne outbreaks, leading to improved consumer trust and brand reputation.

On the factory floor, quality control can be seen in predictive maintenance. AI can be used to predict when equipment might fail or will fail, and be able to he...

Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a team of scientists led by University of Arizona astronomers has discovered a threadlike arrangement of 10 galaxies that existed just 830 million years after the Big Bang.

UArizona astronomers identify strands of the cosmic web

Lined up like pearls on an invisible string, the 3-million-light-year-long structure is anchored by a luminous quasar – a galaxy with an active, supermassive black hole at its core. The team believes the filament will eventually evolve into a massive cluster of galaxies, much like the well-known Coma Cluster in the “nearby” universe. The results are published in two papers in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

“This is one of the earliest filamentary structures that people have ever found associated with a distant quasar,” said Feige Wang, an assistant research professor at the UArizona Steward Observatory and lead author of the first paper. Wang added that it is the first time a structure of this kind has been observed at such an early time in the universe and in 3D detail.

Galaxies are not scattered randomly across the universe. They gather together not only into clusters and clumps, but form vast interconnected filamentary structures, separated by gigantic barren voids in between. This “cosmic web” started out tenuous and became more distinct over time as gravity drew matter together.

Embedded in vast “oceans” of dark matter, galaxies form where dark and regular matter accumulate in localized patches that are denser than their surroundings. Similar to the crests of waves in the ocean, galaxies ride on continuous strings of dark matter known as filaments, explained Xiaohui Fan, Regents’ Professor of Astronomy at Steward and a co-author on both publications. The newly discovered filament marks the first time such a structure has been observed at a time when the cosmos was just 6% of its current age.

“I was surprised by how long and how narrow this filament is,” Fan said. “I expected to find something, but I didn’t expect such a long, distinctly thin structure.”

This discovery was made as part of the ASPIRE project, a large international collaboration led by UArizona researchers, with Wang being the principal investigator. The main goal of ASPIRE – which stands for A SPectroscopic survey of biased halos In the Reionization Era – is to study the cosmic environments of the earliest black holes. The program will observe 25 quasars that existed within the first billion years after the Big Bang, a time known as the Epoch of Reionization.

“The last two decades of cosmology research have given us a robust understanding of how the cosmic web forms and evolves,” said team member Joseph Hennawi of the University of California, Santa Barbara. “ASPIRE aims to understand how to embed the emergence of the earliest massive black holes into our current story of cosmic structure formation.”

Winds of change

Another part of the study investigates the properties of eight quasars in the young universe. The team confirmed that their central black holes, which existed less than a billion years after the Big Bang, range in mass from 600 million to 2 billion times the mass of the sun. Astronomers continue seeking evidence to explain how these black holes could grow so large so fast.

To form these supermassive black holes in such a short time, two criteria must be satisfied, said Wang.

“First, you need to start growing from a massive ‘seed’ black hole,” he explained. “Two, even if this seed starts with a mass equivalent of a thousand suns, it needs to accrete a million times more matter at the maximum possible rate in a relatively short time, because our observations caught it at a time when it was still very young.”

“These unprecedented observations are providing important clues about how black holes are assembled. We have learned that these black holes are situated in massive young galaxies that provide the reservoir of fuel for their growth,” said Jinyi Yang, an assistant research ...

EY Ireland recently announced the launch of its Managed Cyber Security Service, specifically tailored to support Irish SMEs and other businesses to defend against cyber security threats and attacks. The new EY offering is designed to help reduce the cost and expertise barriers preventing many organisations from addressing their urgent cyber security needs.

I talk to Puneet Kukreja, EY Ireland Cyber Lead about the human element, Cyber hygiene, the elastic perimeter, understanding risk, two eggs in a basket, assumed breech mindset, secure landing zone and native cloud.

More about Puneet Kukreja:

Puneet has 25 years’ plus experience in cybersecurity having worked in specialist cyber roles for a range of different organisations in the APAC region including National Australia Bank, the Victorian regional government of Australia, and Deloitte APAC before joining EY Ireland last year.

See more podcasts here.

More about Irish Tech News

Irish Tech News are Ireland’s No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland’s No.1 Tech Podcast too.

You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here:

If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at [email protected] now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience.

You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Recording artist Imogen Heap incorporates advanced technology in her music and live performances. On this episode of The Futurists, Imogen describes her creative process and explains how she improvises with emerging techn to achieve spontaneous artistic breakthroughs in composition, collaboration and live shows, including her digital twin “Mogen”, an AI-personality. Topics discussed in this episode: haptics, generative AI music, the future of live interaction and participatory media, procrastination and inspiration, geolocating songs, blockchain for music metadata, how fans and artists can collaborate with artificial intelligence.

Technology for Creativity with Imogen Heap

More about the hosts

Robert Tercek is an award-winning author, entrepreneur, and educator focused on the process of dematerialization and innovation. In his professional capacity, Mr. Tercek is a seasoned business executive with deep expertise in digital media and internet services. He is a prolific creator of interactive programs and products. He has designed and launched successful consumer experiences on every digital platform, including digital television, game consoles, broadband Internet, and mobile networks. In 2021, Mr. Tercek was recognized as the Humanitarian of the Year by the Media Excellence Awards for his leadership in designing and launching COVID SMART™, an interactive training program designed to keep workers safe on the job during the pandemic.

Brett King is a world-renowned entrepreneur, futurist, speaker, international bestselling author, and media personality. China’s President Xi Jinping cited his book Augmented: Life in the Smart Lane on the topic of Artificial Intelligence in his 2018 national address; the same book that was listed as a Top 10 non-fiction book in North America. In 2019 his book Bank 4.0 was awarded the Top Book by a Foreign Author in Russia for that year.

See more podcasts here.

More about Irish Tech News

Irish Tech News are Ireland’s No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland’s No.1 Tech Podcast too.

You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here:

If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at [email protected] now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience.

You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

In recent years, China has made significant strides in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), positioning itself as a global leader in this transformative technology. The emergence of ChatGPT, an advanced language model developed by OpenAI, has further accelerated China’s AI capabilities, raising intriguing questions about its potential to surpass the United States and become the world’s leading economy.

China’s ascent as an AI powerhouse has been driven by ambitious investments, robust research, and development efforts, and a favorable policy environment. Recognizing AI’s potential economic and strategic benefits, the Chinese government has launched comprehensive plans and initiatives, such as the “New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan”, to foster innovation and propel the country forward.

These efforts have propelled China to the forefront of AI research, development, and application, creating a fertile ground for breakthroughs in various sectors. This article delves into the evolving landscape of AI, examining China’s advancements and the implications of ChatGPT’s influence on its economic ambitions.

Let’s enter the Chat-dragon!

Baidu, Alibaba and Kunlun Go Into the Chat

China’s internet giants, namely Baidu, Alibaba, and Kunlun, have indeed been swift to recognize the potential of ChatGPT and its implications in the ongoing US-China tech war. Since ChatGPT was unveiled last year, these companies have been actively exploring its applications and incorporating them into their own services and platforms.

This development has added another layer to the already complex and heated conflict between the United States and China in the technology sector.

Baidu

Often referred to as the “Google of China”, the company has been at the forefront of leveraging ChatGPT to enhance its search engine capabilities and natural language processing systems. By integrating the conversational abilities of ChatGPT, Baidu aims to provide more intuitive and personalized search experiences to its users.

The technology has the potential to revolutionize how users interact with search engines, enabling more natural language queries and facilitating a deeper understanding of user intent.

AliBaba

A global e-commerce and technology conglomerate, Alibaba, has also recognized the significance of ChatGPT in transforming customer experiences. By integrating ChatGPT into its customer service platforms, the company aims to enhance its virtual assistants, chatbots, and voice recognition systems.

The technology can enable more human-like and context-aware conversations, improving customer engagement and satisfaction. Alibaba’s adoption of ChatGPT aligns with its broader strategy of leveraging AI to drive innovation across its diverse business ecosystem.

Kunlun

A Chinese tech company specializing in mobile internet services, Kunlun has made significant strides in incorporating ChatGPT into its applications. The company aims to enhance its mobile chat and messaging platforms by leveraging the natural language processing capabilities of ChatGPT.

This integration can enable more seamless and interactive conversations between users, fostering deeper user engagement and propelling Kunlun’s services to the forefront of the messaging app market.

The uptake of ChatGPT by these Chinese internet giants has undoubtedly intensified the conflict in the US-China tech war. The United States has been wary of China’s rapid advancements in AI and its potential implications for national security and economic competitiveness.

The integration of ChatGPT by Chinese companies amplifies concerns regarding data privacy, intellectual property rights, and the potential for AI-powered technologies to be used for surveillance or information control.

In response to the growing influence of Chinese tech companies leveraging ChatGPT, the United States has tightened restrictions and regulations on technology transfers, investments, and collaborations between the two nations...

Turtle Sanctuary at Grand Pacifica, a leading advocate for sea turtle conservation, is issuing a strong call to action on International Plastic Bag Free Day. With the alarming rise of plastic pollution in our oceans, the organization highlights the urgent need to reduce plastic bag usage to protect the delicate habitats of sea turtles and preserve marine ecosystems.

Sea Turtles Sanctuary Urges Action on International Plastic Bag Free Day

International Plastic Bag Free Day, observed on July 3rd, serves as a global reminder of the detrimental impact of plastic bags on the environment. As these non-biodegradable bags make their way into our oceans, they pose a severe threat to marine life, including sea turtles, who mistake them for prey or become entangled in them, leading to injury and even death.

Plastic has become an integral part of daily life in Nicaragua, with residents relying heavily on items such as bags and bottles. However, this convenience comes at a significant cost to the environment. Every month, an alarming number of approximately 615,300 plastic pieces are discarded by the population, leading to a daunting challenge as these items take hundreds of years to decompose. 90% of the city’s waste is discarded without any regulation.

Turtle Sanctuary at Grand Pacifica, recognizes the critical role that reducing plastic bag usage plays in safeguarding the habitats of these magnificent creatures. By encouraging communities, businesses, and individuals to adopt sustainable alternatives, we can collectively make a significant impact in preserving our oceans and the species that rely on them.

“Our oceans are facing an environmental crisis, and sea turtles are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of plastic pollution,” said Michael Cobb, Co-founder of ECI Development. “On International Plastic Bag Free Day, we are urging everyone to take immediate action by reducing their plastic bag usage. Every step we take toward eliminating single-use plastic bags brings us closer to creating a sustainable future for sea turtles and other marine life.”

Turtle Sanctuary at Grand Pacifica, encourages individuals to participate in International Plastic Bag Free Day by:

1. Choosing reusable bags made of eco-friendly materials for shopping and everyday use.

2. Spreading awareness about the impact of plastic bags on marine life through social media and local community events.

3. Supporting legislation and policies aimed at reducing plastic bag usage and promoting sustainable alternatives.

4. Encouraging local businesses to adopt plastic-free practices and provide incentives for customers to use reusable bags.

By collectively taking these steps, we can protect the habitats of sea turtles and contribute to the preservation of our oceans for future generations.

About Turtle Sanctuary at Grand Pacifica:

Turtle Sanctuary at Grand Pacifica, is a dedicated advocate for sea turtle conservation and the protection of marine ecosystems. Through education, research, and community engagement, we strive to raise awareness about the threats faced by sea turtles and inspire action to ensure their survival.

Contact:

See more breaking stories here.

CeADAR, Ireland’s National Centre for Applied AI, has upgraded its AI NewsHub to meet increasing demand for accurate information on global developments in artificial intelligence. AI NewsHub is a smart and easy-to-use digital news platform for reliable information on global trends and developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning. It is free to use.

Originally launched in October 2022, AI NewsHub‘s objective was to bring together in one place news from the global AI community.

But the rapid global increase in interest in AI over the last few months has led to an explosion in the readership of AI NewsHub, reflecting the growing importance of having a trustworthy and comprehensive news platform for global developments in the area.

AI NewsHub has already reached users in 34 countries. It has a particularly high engagement with users in the United States and the UK, leading CeADAR to add dedicated channels for these regions in the new platform iteration.

As the field of AI is vast in scope, CeADAR has also enhanced the service to ensure users are receiving only the content that they are interested in.

In one of the key new developments, the platform now offers a personalised news feed so users can select the publisher categories, industry sectors and artificial intelligence and machine learning topics that they are most interested in. AI-powered enrichment is also used to provide wider context to each article.

A core component of AI NewsHub is that the information continues to come from reputable and clearly identifiable media sources. By only sourcing information from reputable outlets, AI NewsHub maintains a tight quality control on the information it provides to its users. All original sources of the material are acknowledged, and all stories link back to the original publishing source.

While AI NewsHub is free for anyone to use, it also includes a premium version for industry members of the CeADAR Centre, offering advanced features like access to CeADAR’s extensive news database and advanced search capabilities.

The AI system developed by CeADAR for AI NewsHub employs natural language processing to automatically summarise each article into its key messages.

The AI news portal was developed and redesigned by CeADAR’s team of data scientists, led by Technology Solutions Lead and Head of CeADAR Connect Group, Dr Arsalan Shahid.

Dr Arsalan Shahid said:

“Our goal is to make a smart and easy-to-use AI News platform that provides personalised content. Because our member companies fall into different industry verticals – such as healthcare, finance and pharma – we wanted to be able to serve them only the news that interests them. The platform now provides that functionality.”

CeADAR Centre Director Dr Edward McDonnell said:

“We are delighted that our AI NewsHub has become so popular. It was developed as a service for the AI community in Ireland to gather all the latest news and trends in one place. With worldwide media interest in AI we now see that the platform has a global reach. We hope that the platform can be a showcase for Ireland as the ‘AI Island’.”

See more stories here.

Tatiana Botskina is the founder and CEO of Mintycode, a decentralized IP marketplace for software creators, bringing together software creators, software buyers, and software contributors. By building communities around software creators’ source code and enabling shared ownership, Mintycode helps software creators monetize their work and incentivize and reward contributors. Tatiana founded Mintycode in January 2022, and they are now one of the 12 startups forming the Techstars Web3 accelerator class of 2023.

Tatiana began her career as a lawyer before returning to academia and adding disciplines in international finance, machine learning, and blockchain development. Through her time in academia and also through working with startups, Tatiana developed strong beliefs in digital transformation powered by artificial intelligence and global decentralization.

In this episode, Tatiana and Pete Townsend dive into her background that inspired her passion for fairness and justice, her approach to developing a competitive edge, and the natively collaborative context of Mintycode as a platform and a community. Tatiana and Pete also talk through some of the challenges she’s faced so far as a founder/CEO, and also her love for hackathons.

LINKS:

Connect with Tatiana Botskina on LinkedIn and Twitter

Follow Mintycode on LinkedIn and Twitter

Episode title inspired by ‘Power to the People’ by Public Enemy

Leave a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Check out our MoneyNeverSleeps website and get in touch via [email protected]

Follow us on Twitter: MoneyNeverSleeps | Eoin Fitzgerald | Pete Townsend

More about Irish Tech News

Irish Tech News are Ireland’s No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland’s No.1 Tech Podcast too.

You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here:

If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at [email protected] now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience.

You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.