This is not a tech story.

This is a human story.

Before this system existed, vulnerable children could wait weeks for access to childcare — stuck in a maze of emails, forms, and approvals.

Now? Minutes.

On this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Ruth Shortall (POBAL) and Ciarán Madden (Department of Children) about the system that:

• Cut waiting times from 3 weeks to minutes
• Connected multiple agencies into one seamless flow
• Removed friction for frontline workers under pressure
• And quietly transformed outcomes for families at critical moments

This is what real digital transformation looks like.

Not flashy.

Not theoretical.

But life-changing.

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What if a city already knew your child was starting school — and simply sent you a text asking if you agreed with the proposed school?

That already happens in Helsinki.

In this episode of Transform Gov, infrastructure expert Alice Charles from Arup explains how some cities are using data, digital twins and AI to plan transport, housing and infrastructure far more intelligently.

You will hear:

• How Helsinki predicts school demand using data
• Why digital twins allow cities to test developments instantly
• Why surveys often get transport data wrong
• How Copenhagen paid for its metro by building housing around stations
• Why Dublin sometimes loses international meetings to cities with better transport
• How electricity data can reveal vacant homes

This conversation shows how data is quietly changing how cities function.

00:00 Introduction

02:05 Helsinki’s predictive public services

04:00 Digital twins explained

05:30 Why visual planning wins public support

06:30 AI and planning systems

08:40 Human intelligence vs AI

11:10 Why surveys fail

12:10 Copenhagen’s real cycling data

15:30 MetroLink and global infrastructure firms

17:30 Metro funding through housing

20:40 Why Dublin loses business to Amsterdam

23:30 All-island infrastructure planning

26:00 Finding vacant homes using electricity data

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AI may dominate the headlines — but the real race is happening somewhere else.

Energy. Water. Data infrastructure.

On this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Alice Charles, Director at Arup and former World Economic Forum infrastructure lead, about the global competition shaping the future of cities, economies and governments.

Alice explains why the AI boom is triggering what some leaders are calling the largest infrastructure build-out in history.

And why the foundations of AI are not software — but power grids, water systems and data centres.

In this conversation:

• Why the AI race between the US and China is really about infrastructure

• Why AI requires massive increases in energy and water

• Why Ireland’s climate gives it an unexpected advantage for data centres

• Why smart city projects failed when they focused on technology instead of citizens

• Why governments must move from planning to delivery

Alice also reflects on lessons from the World Economic Forum, global infrastructure investment, and the strategic decisions countries must make to compete in a rapidly changing technological landscape.

If AI is the future — the question is simple:

Do we have the infrastructure to support it?

Digital Government Infrastructure, AI infrastructure, Data centres, Energy transition, Urban development, Smart cities, Public sector innovation

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What does AI actually look like inside a local authority?

In this episode of Transform Gov, Dublin City Council’s AI Lab team — Khizer Ahmed Biyabani and Richie Shakespeare — explain how they are moving beyond AI hype to deliver practical tools that improve consistency, save time and build trust.

From preventing contradictory council answers to searching decades of records in seconds, they share what works, what doesn’t, and why 80% of AI success comes down to data.

• How AI prevents conflicting public-sector responses
• Turning 1990s PDFs into instant search results
• Training 500+ staff and shifting sentiment from fear to confidence
• Why data readiness matters more than the AI itself

00:00 — What the AI Lab is and why it exists

03:30 — Why a sandbox approach matters

11:30 — Training 500+ staff and changing AI sentiment

21:27 — “Ctrl+F on steroids”: AI for council questions

22:04 — Searching records back to the 1990s

24:29 — The truth: data preparation is 80% of the work

27:00 — Building control use cases and operational impact

32:40 — Scaling AI safely in local government

AI in government, digital transformation, local government innovation, generative AI, public sector technology, Ireland eGovernment Awards, smart cities, data governance

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Quantum computing is often described as “next-generation” technology — but according to Equal1 CEO Jason Lynch, it’s much closer, more practical, and more relevant to government than most people realise.

In this episode of Transform Gov, Jason explains quantum computing in plain English, why it follows AI rather than replaces it, and how it could transform public services — from climate modelling and flooding prediction to healthcare, logistics and national infrastructure planning.

We also explore why waiting until quantum “arrives” may already be too late for CIOs, and what public-sector leaders should be doing now to prepare.

• 00:01 – What quantum computing actually is (without the jargon)
• 03:10 – Why AI is hitting limits: energy, cost and sustainability
• 04:30 – Healthcare, drugs and why we still don’t know how paracetamol works
• 06:20 – Optimisation problems governments can’t solve today
• 08:00 – Why Equal1’s data-centre approach changes everything
• 11:40 – Why ESA became Equal1’s first customer
• 15:40 – What CIOs should be planning for now
• 17:50 – Quantum, security and post-quantum cryptography
• 20:40 – Digital sovereignty and Europe’s quantum future
• 25:00 – What citizens may notice in five years’ time

quantum computing explained, quantum computing government, public sector technology, digital government podcast, future of computing, AI and quantum, government innovation

what is quantum computing, how quantum computing affects government, quantum vs AI, when will quantum computing be used, quantum computing public services

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What if improving health didn’t start with another campaign telling people what to do?

In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Stephen McPeake, founder of Civic Dollars, about a practical, community-led way councils and health bodies are encouraging healthier behaviour — and actually seeing results.

Stephen explains why incentives often work better than awareness campaigns, why people push back when they’re told what to do, and how councils and health bodies are using Civic Dollars to improve wellbeing, support local businesses, and strengthen communities.

A smart listen for anyone working in public health, local government, or digital transformation.

Topics

00:00 – 01:00

Why public services struggle to change behaviour

01:00 – 03:00

A simple idea: rewarding people for time outdoors

03:00 – 05:30

How health activity turns into community impact

05:30 – 09:00

Using incentives instead of prescriptions

09:00 – 12:10

Why public health campaigns don’t work

12:10 – 15:00

Why place matters more than apps

15:00 – 19:00

How innovation gets stuck in pilot mode

19:00 – 27:00

What councils get, what it costs, and what’s next

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AI can already create near-perfect replicas of passports, utility bills and other identity documents — good enough to bypass many existing checks.

In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Dr Hitesh Tewari, Professor at Trinity College Dublin and researcher at the ADAPT Centre, about what this means for public services that rely on digital identity, from welfare and healthcare to licensing and payments.

They explore:

• Why traditional KYC approaches are no longer sufficient
• How fraud becomes dangerous when it becomes scalable
• How zero-knowledge proof can allow verification without over-sharing data
• How blockchain can support trust, not speculation
• Lessons from real-world projects in energy, voting and healthcare data

A practical, risk-focused conversation for those responsible for digital public services.

• 01:25 – AI-generated identity documents and KYC risk
• 06:30 – Why scalable fraud changes everything
• 10:45 – What blockchain is (and is not) for government
• 13:50 – Zero-knowledge proof explained simply
• 19:40 – Tackling greenwashing with better energy attribution
• 22:15 – Healthcare data, silos and trust
• 25:50 – What’s coming next: opportunities and risks

Digital identity, AI fraud, KYC, public sector technology, digital government, blockchain, zero-knowledge proof, cybersecurity, trust in government, ADAPT Centre, Trinity College Dublin

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Digital services only work if everyone can use them.

In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Donal Fitzpatrick and Shivaali Scully from the National Disability Authority about accessibility, universal design and the fast-emerging role of AI in public services.

They explore if AI can remove barriers for people with disabilities, where serious risks around bias and privacy remain, and why involving users early in design is the single most important factor in getting digital services right.

The conversation ranges from real-world examples of AI supporting accessibility, to the impact of the European Accessibility Act, and why Ireland is emerging as a global leader in universal design.

This is a must-listen for anyone designing, commissioning or delivering digital services in the public or private sector.

• 00:00 – Why accessibility is central to digital government
• 03:00 – AI and accessibility: opportunity versus risk
• 06:30 – Why user voices must shape design from day one
• 09:30 – Privacy, bias and the limits of AI
• 17:00 – European Accessibility Act explained
• 23:00 – Ireland’s leadership in universal design
• 34:00 – The Universal Design Grand Challenge and future talent

Accessibility, Universal Design, AI in Government, Digital Public Services, Inclusion, European Accessibility Act, Public Sector Innovation, Transform Gov

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This is a frank conversation about pace, legislation, risk culture, and delivery at scale — and why digital reform will stall unless governments change how decisions are made, not just what they build.

Part 2 of Transform Gov, Dr Tony Shannon, Head of Digital Services at Ireland’s Office of the Government CIO. This interview goes beyond strategy and confronts the real constraints holding back public-sector transformation.

Tony explains why:

• the machinery of government is not yet fit for the digital age
• legislation itself must become “digital-ready”
• life-event based services require cross-government ownership
• Ireland has a unique opportunity to lead between EU regulation and US innovation

This episode will resonate with anyone responsible for delivery, governance, funding, architecture, or reform in the public sector.

Part 2 of 2

Presented by Maeve Kneafsey

Transform Gov – part of the Ireland eGovernment Awards, in partnership with Accenture

• 01:45 – Why 2030 is the end of the digital decade, not the start
• 04:30 – Life events, building blocks and shared ownership
• 07:00 – Digital public infrastructure explained
• 11:25 – Ireland’s position between EU regulation and US innovation
• 17:00 – Why the machinery of government is not yet fit for the digital age
• 18:30 – The case for digital-ready legislation

Key subjects: public sector digital transformation, government CIO, digital government Ireland, life events strategy, digital public infrastructure, govtech, public service reform, digital legislation, OGCIO, Transform Gov podcast

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Dr Tony Shannon, Head of Digital Services in Ireland’s Office of the Government CIO, shares his remarkable journey from emergency medicine to the front line of digital government.

He shares why healthcare’s chaos taught him how to fix complex systems, how the NHS’s multi-billion-pound IT failure shaped his thinking, and why now—in his words—“is a moment that matters and a decade that matters.”

Expect insight, urgency and practical lessons for anyone who believes public services can, and must, work better for people and planet.

Part 1 of 2.

Listen for:

• How a doctor’s pattern-recognition mindset applies to digital reform
• What went wrong with the NHS national IT programme
• The three-way equation of People + Process + Technology
• Why the pandemic briefly showed how agile government can be
• Why risk-aversion, if left unchallenged, will cost us all

Digital transformation, public sector innovation, Ireland eGovernment, Tony Shannon, OGCIO, Maeve Kneafsey, healthcare informatics, open source, agile delivery, leadership, government reform, risk culture, digital public services, data, AI in government, life-event strategy

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