Integrity360 invests €8M in new Security Operations Centre in Dublin and creates 200 jobs

Integrity360, one of the leading pan-European cyber security specialists today announces that it has invested €8 million in its new Security Operations Centre (SOC) facility in Dublin.

As part of its growth plans, the company is also set to create approximately 200 jobs across the group over the next three years, with 50 of those based in Ireland. The majority of these roles will be for cyber security consultants, analysts and architects. Currently, Integrity360 employs circa 100 people in Ireland and approximately 500 across the wider group.

Based in the high-tech, fully secure Termini building in Sandyford, the new facility spans 16,000 square feet. It comprises the SOC and seven customer suites, as well as a training and innovation centre. It is also equipped with state-of-the-art technologies and infrastructure, along with modern collaboration areas, workspaces and meeting rooms.

The purpose-built facility will expand the company’s pan-European network of SOCs and will enable it to drive further business growth and client success in both Ireland and further afield through cutting-edge solutions and services – including Managed Detection and Response (MDR), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solutions, all of which provide for the monitoring and management of customer IT networks on a 24/7 basis for potential cyber attacks and threats.

Furthermore, the Sandyford facility will be the group’s largest SOC utilising the latest technology and secure biometrics systems. The organisation has three other SOCs located in Sofia, Stockholm and Naples. As one of Europe’s leading cyber security specialists, Integrity360 has offices in the UK, Bulgaria, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Lithuania, and Ukraine and serves approximately 2,000 customers across the continent.

This investment follows a number of acquisitions by Integrity360 in recent years. Back in June 2021, Integrity360 received a major strategic investment from leading London-based private equity firm August Equity, operating in partnership with IT and cyber industry veteran Ian Brown who serves as the CEO and Chairman of the group.  Since then, it has acquired Caretower in the UK, Netsecure in Sweden, and Advantio which operates across continental Europe.

Through the rapid expansion of the organisation’s operations across the UK, the Nordics and continental Europe, group revenue is expected to exceed €115 million in 2023. Founded in Dublin in 2005, Integrity360 has built up an impressive customer base over the years which consists of both mid-market and enterprise companies across a wide range of sectors including financial services, insurance, government, healthcare, retail, telecoms and utilities.

The Integrity360 group specialises in and provides a comprehensive range of professional, support and managed cyber security services that identify and assess, protect and prevent, detect and analyse and respond and recover cyber risks and threats. These include incident response, penetration testing, consulting and compliance, cyber infrastructure design and project management.

Speaking at the opening, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney welcomed the announcement: “I am delighted to join the Integrity360 team in their highly impressive new Security Operations Centre. Integrity360 is an Irish indigenous company that has grown and developed to compete on a global scale and the announcement today of 200 new jobs globally with 50 based here in Dublin shows that Ireland is to the forefront of development and innovation in the cyber security space. The Government through Enterprise Ireland looks forward to continued engagement with Integrity360 to support their business development.” 

Ian Brown, Chief Executive and Chairman of Integrity360, said: “We are delighted to have made a further significant investment in Ireland with the opening of our new state of the art facility in Sandyford, which includes our largest SOC. The investment is another significant step in our growth plans as we look to expand our team, and enhance our service offering to help our customers stay ahead of the merging threat landscape. It will allow us to further strengthen our position across Europe and the UK as a leading cyber security specialist.”

Leo Clancy, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, said: “Enterprise Ireland has been working with Integrity360 since 2012 and seen first-hand how this innovative company has gone from strength-to-strength, growing a strong customer base internationally and continuing to recruit here in Ireland. It is a testament to the vision and hard work of the team that this Irish company has grown to be a significant international player in the growing cyber security sector working with global brands. Supporting Irish companies with the ambition to scale globally is a key priority for Enterprise Ireland and we look forward to working closely with Integrity360 to optimise their full international growth potential, creating and sustaining jobs in Ireland.”

Veblen Giffen launches with 500k Investment

Veblen Giffen, the contemporary communications company with a maniacal focus on electronic advertising, today announces its official launch alongside an initial investment of 500k.

The venture is founder Jake Browne’s third in as many years. Browne left a software job in investment banking to pioneer TikTok houses in Ireland & Los Angeles, before founding and scaling Peblo, a revenue-based financing provider for content creators, which was bought by Wayflyer in 2022 less than 18 months after being founded.

Drawing upon insights from the Peblo/Wayflyer journey, which witnessed 2% of the $27 billion dollars of global influencer sponsorships last year, Veblen Giffen seeks to offer a different take on the advertising industry.

Veblen Giffen provides social media agency of record services, such as content creation, community building and brand building, to disruptive businesses who believe in the power and opportunity of internet marketing.

This vastly talented and experienced team that has joined Browne, has created 29 Irish TikTok accounts and taken 28 of them past 10 million views organically. A statistic that to the best of the team’s knowledge makes them an industry leader in Europe. By hiring content creators in roles traditionally held by marketers, the company promises virality through a deep understanding of the internet and how people engage with content.

Jake Browne, founder and CEO said, “Most agencies are afraid to promise virality, because they can’t deliver on it. We can. We are prolific when it comes to going viral. Our team has created well over 300 videos with more than 1 million organic views. When you pair strong organic content with paid ads, that’s when it gets exciting. All of your metrics move in the right direction, and in 2023, the year of efficiency, that’s important.”

Veblen Giffen will challenge the traditional advertising agencies that Browne feels still dismiss social and content marketing as nice to haves. He said, “Social media is the media and internet culture is the culture. It is up to us to push the industry forward and we will.”

Browne continued, “Modern brands need a high volume of engaging, culturally relevant, affordable content. The traditional model and teams are too slow, too expensive, and too far removed from what works online. Content creators, the people who have been profiting from the algorithms for the last decade are best positioned to help brands do that. Brands already pay them for sponsorships and distribution, why not listen to them on strategy and creative? Simply put, we’re better, faster & cheaper than what is available on the market.

Tech Review – PowerCube, the ultimate 4-in-1 EDC charging solution

There is many charging solutions on the market today in all shapes and size which is welcome and there is something to suit everyone’s needs and we all have different needs and there is no denying that one, over the years I have tried and tested many of these in all shapes and size and they all do the same thing but over the years things have have changed with more options being built into one unit and with the tech changing you can implement several products into on now and this is what this product does.

Small and portable which is what we want for at home and mostly for travel purposes the PowerCube is the ultimate 4-in-1 charging solution according to the company, this is in short a hybrid charging device that features a 5,000mAh battery pack, a 20W charger, a built-in charging cable and a foldable phone stand.

This little palm sized gadget is versatile and can do more than charge your phone and we have been testing in out for the last few weeks so let’s take a look at what we are getting here and check the video review below.

 

What does PowerCube do then.

Doubles as A 20W Wall Charger

It also has a built-in AC wall plug (US plug) to give you flexibility when outside without having to bring additional cables and an adapter. If your smartphone needs more than a quick top-up, or the battery itself is dead, simply fold out the AC pins, and plug them into any standard outlet to begin charging. You will not need to face the wall or be tied by the wall socket when chilling at home or travelling with your phone. With pass-through charging you can charge PowerCube and your devices at the same timeIt will automatically prioritize powering your devices from a power outlet before charging itself.

 

The integrated Lightning cable supports up to 20W Power Delivery fast charging. Your iPhone battery can be recharged from 0-50% in only 30 minutes.

The built-in USB-C cable delivers a maximum power output of 22.5W for Samsung, Google, and other compatible Android smartphones and tablets. It can even provide emergency power for low-powered laptops like MacBook Air 13″, Surface Go, Chromebook, Samsung Galaxy Book 2 etc.

Foldable Kickstand to Securely Hold Your Phone

Another interesting feature that sets it aside from other power banks, is its foldable kickstand, which allows for hands-free viewing while charging.

Charge Two Devices Simultaneously

PowerCube is also equipped with a USB-C port on the bottom with a rating of 5V / 2.1A that can be used as input and output. It is a capable mobile companion in its own right — both its USB-C port and  integrated cable are capable of delivering 20W of battery power to your device, or 23W total if both ports are used simultaneously. It means you can charge two devices at the same time and share power with your friend.

Safe & Reliable Charging

The product is built with superior safety features, including battery overcharge protection, overcurrent protection, output overvoltage protection, temperature control, short circuit protection, etc.

 

Smallest,Lightest but Most Powerful

Combining wall charger, power bank, kickstand together, PowerCube is still one of the lightest and most compact power banks that you can buy. Having such fast charging speeds is quite unusual for such compact power banks.

PowerCube is remarkably portable – measuring up at a minuscule 4.2 inches(106mm) on its longest side and 1.5 inches (38mm) in width, making it perfect for stashing in your purse, pocket or makeup bag.

It weighs just 173g (6.1 ounces), about 30% lighter than a similar conventional 5000mAh power bank.  This is the type of power bank you’ll even forget you have until the moment you actually need it.

Travel-friendly Pin Converters For Any Country

We provide this travel adapter bundle (including EU plug, UK plug and AU plug) as an add on. They are easy to carry with you in your luggage without issue. Easily convert UK/EU/AU plug to the US plug of PowerCube, you can get juiced up across borders.

Get on Kickstarter

Video Review

Revenue teams: Introducing Zoom Revenue Accelerator

Today Zoom announced that Zoom IQ for Sales, the company’s conversation intelligence software, will relaunch as Zoom Revenue Accelerator.

“As a customer feedback-driven company, we heard from customers that the name Zoom IQ for Sales didn’t reflect the power of the product. As we continue to evolve the product, we want to better reflect the vision and how it can help sales teams gain meaningful and actionable insights from their customer interactions,” said Mahesh Ram, head of AI applications and products at Zoom. “Just in the last quarter, Zoom IQ for Sales has grown significantly, with a 400% increase over Q1, highlighting just how powerful this application is, and how people are interested in generative AI capabilities to boost revenue performance.

Today, Zoom Revenue Accelerator provides many AI features meeting summaries, chapter summaries, sentiment, engagement, talk / listen ratio, intelligent automatic extraction of next steps and good questions, and an email smart compose feature to help complete sales meeting follow-up, to name just a few. Zoom plans to continue expanding these functionalities and adding new AI features to empower sales teams to improve their skills and continuously improve performance, leading to better customer experience and revenue outcomes in the long run.

This autumn, Zoom is expanding its capabilities with Zoom Revenue Accelerator, including the announcement of a new Virtual Coach, Deal Risk Signals, and Discover Monthly for sales teams. 

  • Virtual Coach will leverage a customisable and dynamic training environment that simulates a real conversation to accelerate onboarding and train sales team members on new products and methodologies more effectively, including an objective assessment of their performance that they can act on to improve consistency in messaging. 

 

  • Deal Risk Signals will allow sales teams to use a rules-based engine to send alerts if the deal hasn’t moved forward in a specific period of time, to help teams understand where they are in a sales pipeline. 

 

  • Discover Monthly will help uncover trends by tracking how competitors are being mentioned on calls and summarising the trends monthly, helping revenue teams reveal insights and execute more effectively. 

 

Since its launch, Zoom’s AI-powered sales tools have helped sales teams gain meaningful and actionable insights from their customer interactions:

 

  • “Improving our sales performance while running more efficiently is critical for us. Zoom Revenue Accelerator allows us to coach sellers and identify best practices while simplifying technology and processes and lowering costs. Our sales teams already love and spend a lot of their time in Zoom Meetings, so it was a no-brainer to add conversation intelligence with Zoom to their experience,” said Alexander Atzberger, CEO at Optimizely. “In addition to using Zoom Revenue Accelerator to onboard our sales team, my C-suite dedicates time each week to listen to recordings. It allows us to not only keep a pulse on our revenue org, but hear directly from our most valuable resource, customers.”

 

  • “Our team is hooked on Zoom [Revenue Accelerator]! It’s been great for our demo process improvement and transparency,” said Tim Akhmetvaleev, head of sales at Flippingbook. “I can’t wait to see what kind of AI wizardry they have in store to make it even more awesome!” 

 

  • “Zoom [Revenue Accelerator] allows us to deliver conversation insights on prospect and customer reactions to SetSail’s features, functionality, and messaging to our marketing teams for them to take action on,” said Majed Itani, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder at SetSail Technologies Inc. “As a bonus, [Revenue Accelerator] provides information for our managers to better coach and enable our customer-facing teams across sales, customer success, and business development based on actual conversations.”

 

More information about Zoom Revenue Accelerator is available on Zoom’s website

Zoom introduces Zoom AI Companion — available at no additional cost with paid Zoom user accounts

Today, Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) announced that Zoom AI Companion (formerly Zoom IQ), the company’s generative AI digital assistant, is now included at no additional cost for customers with the paid services in their Zoom user accounts. AI Companion reinforces Zoom’s vision to deliver limitless human connection on one platform, empowering people by increasing their productivity, enhancing their skills, and improving team effectiveness. Zoom also announced today that Zoom IQ for Sales, its conversational intelligence software, will be renamed Zoom Revenue Accelerator.

Since Zoom introduced generative AI in early June, thousands of companies have benefited from free trials of Team Chat compose and Meeting summary. Beginning this fall, Zoom will significantly expand its generative AI offering across its platform with the launch of AI Companion, at no additional cost with paid Zoom user accounts. 

Zoom’s federated approach to AI delivers high-quality results and lowers costs by dynamically incorporating its own large language models, along with third-party models such as Meta Llama 2, OpenAI, and Anthropic.

Rooted in this unique approach, Zoom AI Companion delivers powerful, real-time digital assistant capabilities to help users improve productivity and work together more effectively. Zoom customers can expect to see AI Companion throughout the entire platform, from Meetings, Team Chat, Phone, Email, and Whiteboard, with additional features on the roadmap.

“We are transcending the hype in generative AI by delivering tangible products and disrupting the industry’s pricing model, making it easy for businesses and people like you and me to leverage generative AI’s full benefits in our day-to-day work,” said Smita Hashim, chief product officer at Zoom. “We were founded on doing what’s right for our customers, and we firmly believe that offering Zoom AI Companion at no additional cost to our paid Zoom user accounts delivers tremendous value as we all navigate the challenges facing us today. We are excited to see our customers and users start using AI Companion and about our strong roadmap for further innovation underpinned by a commitment to responsible AI.”

How Zoom is Putting Customer Privacy First with Generative AI

Zoom’s goal is to invest in AI-driven innovation that enhances user experience and productivity while prioritising trust, safety, and privacy. In August, Zoom shared that it does not use any customer audio, video, chat, screen-sharing, attachments, or other communications-like customer content (such as poll results, whiteboards, or reactions) to train Zoom’s or third-party artificial intelligence models. Additionally, AI Companion is turned off by default — account owners and administrators control whether to enable these AI features for their accounts. Zoom provides admins and users control and visibility when AI features are being used or activated. By putting its customers’ privacy needs first, Zoom is taking a leadership position, enabling its customers to use AI Companion and its capabilities with confidence.

Modern Work Powered by Zoom AI Companion

AI Companion makes it easy and frictionless to collaborate and become more productive, removing repetitive tasks and distractions, and helping teams collaborate more effectively. 

AI Companion incorporates several new real-time AI capabilities immediately, with additional capabilities expected to launch over the next few months. AI Companion is transforming modern work in the following ways:

 

  • With Zoom Meetings, users can watch recordings faster through highlights and smart chapters, and review summaries and next steps, so they can easily catch up on a missed meeting. In the meeting, if enabled by the meeting host, attendees can catch up quickly without disrupting the meeting flow by discreetly submitting questions via the in-meeting AI Companion side panel to receive an AI-generated answer on what they missed. Post-meeting, hosts can receive an automated meeting summary to share with attendees and those who were unable to attend a meeting. These capabilities help team members who may be in different time zones catch up asynchronously. Planned for spring 2024, users will also have the ability to receive real-time feedback on their presence in meetings, as well as coaching on their conversational and presentation skills. 

 

  • Zoom Team Chat is critical for real-time and asynchronous work, but it is easy to get lost in the volume of messages. AI Companion allows users to quickly draft messages based on the context of a chat thread, as well as change tone and length, so they can spend less time composing replies. In the coming weeks, users will be able to catch up on long chat threads through generative AI summarisation, and by early 2024, users will have the ability to auto-complete chat sentences and schedule meetings from a chat. 

 

  • This fall, Zoom Whiteboard users will get help from AI Companion with generating and categorizing ideas, and by spring 2024, users will be able to harness their whiteboard content to generate images and populate whiteboard templates. 

 

  • Additionally, in early fall, Zoom Mail users will be able to get draft email suggestions. By spring 2024, users will be able to add meeting summaries to Zoom Notes and summarise SMS threads and calls with Zoom Phone

 

  • In spring 2024, users will be able to interact with AI Companion through a conversational interface that will be able to understand the context of questions and support users with their content across the Zoom platform, such as prior meetings, chats, and select connected third-party apps, even initiating actions on their behalf. For example, users will be able to interact with AI Companion to get help with:
    • Pre-meeting preparation: Ask AI Companion to find the status of key projects to prepare for an upcoming customer meeting. AI Companion will be able to surface knowledge from meetings, chats, whiteboards, emails, documents, and, with users’ permission, from third-party applications on behalf of the user, to provide the latest updates.
    • In-meeting real-time support: Ask AI Companion real-time questions during the meeting to catch up on key points in the discussion, create and file a support ticket on an issue raised during a call, or provide a draft response to a question raised during the meeting. 
    • Post meeting: Ask AI Companion to summarize the meeting that was held, automatically identify action items and key stakeholders, and surface the next steps to the relevant stakeholders in Team Chat or, with users’ permission, in their third-party applications.

Easy intuitive interface 

Users will be able to access AI Companion from within their existing workflows such as within Zoom Meetings, Zoom Team Chat, and Zoom Whiteboard for capabilities such as Meeting summaries, Team Chat compose, and Whiteboard generation with a simple, easy-to-use experience. Starting now, users can additionally have interactive capabilities with AI Companion via a side panel by accessing these directly within the Meetings experience; this capability will expand across the Zoom platform in spring 2024, as capabilities are added. 

For more information on AI Companion, visit the Zoom website.

 

About Zoom

Zoom is an all-in-one intelligent collaboration platform that makes connecting easier, more immersive, and more dynamic for businesses and individuals. Zoom technology puts people at the center, enabling meaningful connections, facilitating modern collaboration, and driving human innovation through solutions like team chat, phone, meetings, omnichannel cloud contact center, smart recordings, whiteboard, and more, in one offering. Founded in 2011, Zoom is publicly traded (NASDAQ:ZM) and headquartered in San Jose, California. Get more info at zoom.com.

Doro launches specialist HearingBuds to deliver a clearer and more natural hearing experience for UK seniors

From the company spearheading innovation in senior technology, comes a new, unique audio device. Today, Doro, the European market leader in senior mobile phones, announces the launch of its expertly sound enhanced Doro HearingBuds, designed to meet the evolving needs of senior users.

With Doro research showing that over one quarter of seniors (29%) have a hearing impairment, the Bluetooth-enabled Doro HearingBuds, which are compatible with both Android and iOS devices, provide seniors with a rich and more natural sound experience.

Doro HearingBuds are equipped with advanced sound technology, including professional hearing enhancement algorithms that are frequently used in hearing aids. The acoustical design prioritises a natural and superior sound experience while reducing occlusion. This makes them the ideal choice for those who struggle to hear and follow conversations in loud environments and those who would benefit from personalised audio settings when watching TV. They also provide seniors with clear, high-quality sound when listening to their favourite music, podcasts or watching media on their chosen device.

They have pre-set profiles which optimise the quality of speech frequencies, television or media audio and enhance the natural sound balance in the environment in which the user finds themselves. Whether they’re in a busy café or restaurant for a family dinner with lots of background noise and chatter. Or at home watching television where the volume has crept up to an uncomfortable level for others also watching with regular hearing. The HearingBuds help them to isolate and focus on the sounds. These settings can be easily adjusted via the HearingBuds app. There is also a transient block function, protecting the user’s ears against sudden, loud sounds.

And users won’t have to worry about the battery dying quickly. The compact case can fully charge the Doro HearingBuds three times before it requires a recharge.

To ensure a smooth start up, there is a hearing test, which creates a personalised hearing profile for the user after a short evaluation sequence. Hearing settings can be saved and edited within the different app profiles according to the users’ preferences – this includes settings that adjust the range of audio focus and fine tune the HearingBuds to optimise users hearing comfort.

A Fast Pair system for android users, as well as Bluetooth pairing for iOS devices, ensures that all users can benefit from the HearingBuds, no matter their preference.

Thanks to the automatic left/right detection technology, the Doro HearingBuds sense the ear they are placed in and adapt the sound accordingly, so there can be no confusion about which HearingBud to place in which ear.

Doro recommend that users allow for a two-to-four-week period of regular use of the HearingBuds to allow time for their ears to tune in to the enhanced sound experience and reap the full benefits.

Doro HearingBuds are available to purchase via the Doro website and on Amazon UK for £360 (UK) and €399 (Ireland).

Peter Marsden, MD Doro UK & Ireland says: “We’re constantly looking at ways to address the evolving and expanding needs of seniors, as shown through the launch of our Doro Tablet and Doro Watch, two recent additions to the Doro family.

The new Doro HearingBuds build on this offering, providing our customers with the quality, simplicity and clarity required from an everyday, in-ear audio device. They have been designed for those who are beginning to sense a loss of audio clarity in certain environments and scenarios.

With unique sound amplification, seamless design and easy-to-use settings, the special features and streamlined app make the Doro HearingBuds the ultimate choice for seniors.”

Dr Nedelko Grbic, MD ExAudio AB.: “When using technology, users with hearing impairments often amplify the sound to potentially harmful levels in order to gain clarity. In addition to this, people typically wait up to 10 years before they seek professional hearing support or advice.

When designing the HearingBuds, we found a solution to this problem. They are built to amplify speech and sound frequencies to fall within the users specific hearing ability, toning down noise signals that would otherwise mask the speech. They are also equipped with technology which automatically adjusts the dynamic range of each frequency – preventing loud and uncomfortable sound amplification, which could cause further damage to the ears.”

Full list of features:

  • Easy grip with three sizes of silicone tips – allowing for a customisable fit
  • Natural, Hi-Fi quality sound without the isolating impact of noise cancellation
  • Easy-to-use, simplified app and pre-defined hearing profiles
  • Fast Pair set up on Android devices (as well as Bluetooth pairing for iOS devices) with hearing test and personalised sound profiles included
  • Transient block (guard for sudden sound peaks)
  • Tap control feature, instigating customisable commands (these can be set via the app)
  • Left/right HearingBud detection
  • Seamless integration with Android and iOS phones
  • Compact case which gives the HearingBuds two full charges before needing a recharge
  • Up to 11 hours of use (after one full charge of the HearingBuds)
  • Perfect for hands-free phone calls
  • Capacity for augmented hearing (future integration)

Boom Aims To Raise The Conferencing Game As AI Impact Grows with Boom MEZZO

Boom Collaboration is aiming to raise the conferencing game with its latest intelligent camera innovation, which features sophisticated AI technology.

The Boom MEZZO benefits from 4K Ultra HD performance at 30fps, electronic Pan Tilt and Zoom plus built-in AI functions that include highly responsive auto-framing as part of an advanced ‘brain’.

Dual omnidirectional microphones feature noise suppression capabilities alongside a wide angle 110° field of view, 4K glass lens and 10x ePTZ. The Zoom certified device is ideally suited for huddle and smaller conference rooms as well as hybrid classrooms and the telehealth sector.

Boom Co-Founder, Holli Hulett, says the compact collaboration solution includes plug and play functionality and has been developed as an ‘intelligent camera for superior meetings’.

Significant step forward

She emphasized: “Our Boom MEZZO features a sophisticated Image Signal Processor (ISP) that provides vivid images with balanced brightness, high resolution and impressive colour layering. The MEZZO delivers a captivating meeting experience and represents a significant step forward in terms of overall quality.

“With AI-driven auto-framing, the MEZZO automatically centres on meeting participants while dynamically and seamlessly reframing to incorporate everyone in the room.”

Fellow company founder, Fredrik Hörnkvist, enthused: “This compact conferencing camera packs a big punch as the role of AI begins to penetrate deeper across our portfolio to deliver the highest levels of intuitive performance.”

He added: “Advanced ISP processing algorithms combined with a high quality Sony CMOS sensor means a clear and vivid image even in dim light.

“With 10 user-defined presets, the included remote control lets users quickly focus

on specific features around the room such as a white board, podium or meeting participant.”

Backed by a three-year warranty the Boom Mezzo has an RRP of £219.

AI for Sustainability the theme of the fourth international John McCarthy AI Summer School

The international John McCarthy AI Summer School returns for the fourth year running, hosted in person at the RDI Hub in Killorglin, Kerry and online, on the 7th and 8th of September. The event will deep dive into the area of AI for Sustainability and the line-up includes 19 speakers from four countries over two half days, including keynotes and panel discussions along with networking.

The event is being jointly hosted by the following partners – RDI hub, Microsoft Ireland, Munster Technological University, the SFI ADAPT Centre for AI Driven Digital Content Technology, Tangent (Trinity’s Ideas Workspace), AI Ireland and IT@Cork Skillnet along with new partner 2050 Accelerator, Ireland’s National Sustainability Accelerator, run by Dogpatch Labs.

The AI Summer School is delighted to announce its international line-up will include keynotes from leading international AI experts Colleen Josephson, Caroline Lair, Vinny Cahill and Marguerite Nyhan.

The RDI hub building is dedicated to John McCarthy as a tribute to the Stanford University computer scientist. McCarthy was one of the founders of the discipline of artificial intelligence and his father was born in Cromane, near Killorglin in Co Kerry. In the late 1950s McCarthy invented LISP which became the programming language of choice for AI applications.

AI is going to have a truly transformative effect on our lives in the coming years, already it is a discipline which has risen to prominence in terms of the personalisation of content we interact with on a daily basis online but there is so much more AI can help us achieve in the sustainability space and we are looking forward to discussing its diversity with our speaker panel.

Our aim is that the John McCarthy AI Summer School will become a calendar moment for the development of AI and the sharing of knowledge.

RDI Hub CEO, Liam Cronin had this to say about the event:

“As we strive for a sustainable future, we need to harness all the tools at our disposal and Artificial Intelligence is key to achieving this. Leveraging technology, AI, and cloud computing is a critical part of the journey. By incorporating cutting-edge tech into diverse sectors like energy, carbon management, transportation and agriculture, we can actively curtail waste, optimize energy consumption, enhance efficiency, and mitigate carbon emissions.

At the fourth John McCarthy AI Summer School, we hear from the brightest minds in AI, as this year we explore the role of AI in achieving sustainability, encompassing both core research and real-life applications that are building a sustainable future.”

About the keynote speakers

Colleen Josephson is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, who holds a Masters from MIT and a PhD from Stanford. A Senior Research Scientist in Distributed Edge team within the Office of CTO at VMware, her research interests include wireless communication and sensing systems, with a passion for creating technologies to enable and improve sustainable practices.

Caroline Lair is the Founder of The Good AI, Business Dev Manager at Interstellar Lab, Co-founder and Board member of Women in AI nonprofit and is a Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Sorbonne Center for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI)

Vinny Cahill is a Professor of Computer Science at Trinity College Dublin. His research addresses many aspects of distributed systems, in particular, middleware and programming models for mobile, ubiquitous and autonomic computing with application to optimization of urban resource usage and service delivery in order to improve the quality of life and sustainability of cities.

Dr Marguerite Nyhan is an Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer in Future Sustainability & Environmental Engineering at University College Cork, the Environmental Research Institute and the MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate & Marine. Dr Nyhan founded and now directs the Future Sustainability Research Group which harnesses new and emerging technologies to design data-driven and intelligent solutions for sustainable, net zero, healthy, liveable and equitable urban areas.

The core research elements of this summer school will appeal to professors, post docs, PhD students, researchers and graduate students in the fields of AI, Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing. The applied elements have a broader appeal and are accessible to anyone with an interest in Artificial intelligence and the various way it can be deployed.

 Why attend?

  • Over two days you will explore cutting edge research in AI for Sustainability that is reshaping our future.

  • Join keynotes and panel discussions with speakers from several different countries including the US, Germany, France and Ireland.
  • Meet some of the greatest Professors, PhD Students and Researchers along with founders and innovators in the field of AI for Sustainability.

Professor Dave Lewis, Director of ADAPT and Head of Artificial Intelligence at Trinity College Dublin, said“AI has the potential to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, but the responsible development of AI demands a delicate balance between innovation and ethical considerations.  ADAPT’s research highlights how AI can be a force for positive change.  By taking a holistic, multidisciplinary approach, ADAPT’s researchers are taking a leading role in developing more sustainable AI designs and new best practices that will safeguard our planet and improve the lives of all.”

Sustainability Lead at Dogpatch, Ashley Shak said“We’re excited for sustainability to be at the forefront of this years’ AI programme. It’s a now-or-never time to use the tech and talent that’s at our fingertips to tackle the climate crisis.” Shak led the launch of 2050 Accelerator & Ecosystem in May this year, which RDI Hub is a regional partner of, and notes the importance of wider collaboration, “Regional initiatives like this are integral to building out our all-island approach, with RDI showing real-life examples of our interconnectedness. And we’re only grazing the surface of AI’s application here – we’re already seeing it with 2050 Accelerator startups, including Micron Agritech and Carbonstack, both using machine learning to tackle antibiotic resistance and deforestation”

Dr Breda O Dwyer, Head of The Cantillon Academy and Senior Lecturer at Munster Technological University, had this to say

“We at MTU are very much looking forward to this year’s John McCarthy AI summer school as we continue to advance sustainability through our AI driven research here at MTU.  We, together with other speakers will address the multiple opportunities being offered by the challenges of AI as we aim to cultivate a harmonious coexistence between AI, us the human and our planet! We look forward to sharing and learning how we can revolutionise sustainability by enhancing predictive capabilities and fostering data-driven decision-making for a resilient and productive agri-food system, carbon measurement, effective climate change decisions, sustainability mobility models and more . We are excited about our plans to expand the MTU AI research colloquium across Europe in 2024.”

Mark Kelly CEO of AI Ireland said:

“AI Ireland is proud to be part of this vital conversation on sustainability. Together, we’re not just shaping the future of technology; we’re crafting a blueprint for a more sustainable world.”

Anne Sheehan Microsoft Ireland, General Manager said:

“The development of AI over the next several years is critical as we continue the journey of Digital Transformation across all sectors of the economy. As a founding member, Microsoft Ireland is proud to continue supporting the John McCarthy AI Summer school, which is now a pivotal event in the AI calendar. This year’s theme of AI for Sustainability is timely and relevant as AI becomes more prevalent across all areas of our society.”

Register via the Eventbrite link here:
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/artificial-intelligence-summer-school-event-ai-for-sustainability-tickets-698300324067

Tech Review – HAYLOU S35 ANC headphones

The Haylou S35 are an affordable colourful pair of headphones that stand out in a crowd and for me this is fine amongst the sea of Black or White headphones we will always see and flashy colourful models are far and few between. They might look a bit on the toyish side for some and that is fine as kids can wear them if you don’t fancy wearing yourself but they come in a range of colours.

Before you get started you will need to update the firmware as when first testing there was a constant disconnection error and the update fixed it which was great to see out of the gate. Build quality is mostly plastic but robust with no creeks when twisting the headset, there is no carry case in the box as the headphones do fold up which would have been nice but it is not a dealbreaker at this price to be fair.

Comfort is great or long periods of use it must be said and for me important, the pads sink right onto the ears and the headband nice and plush and after a few minutes you will forget the are there. We have a typical ratchet extension each side which stays in place.

All the controls are on one side which I like and the buttons are raised enough not to get confused which button is which with these which is fine.There is no auto play or pause here which is not a big deal you have access to your voice assistant play and pause skip and reverse tracks volume up and down, all the requirements really and of course call controls and all work well.

Haylou S35 ANC headphones – techbuzzireland

The app offers some more in the sound department and overall these are bass driven for me which again is fine as I like bass, you can change the sound signature in the app as you can see below and also we go over the app in the video review below so you get to see how things work, for me overall the sound is pretty good considering the price and consistent, on some song songs maxed out with volume there was a small bit of distortion however again I like my music loud and just had to turn it down a notch and all was fine. One thing to note there is a big difference in the EQ settings unlike other headphones or earbuds I have tested, you can choose between default, bass, rock and soft and then check out the soundmarket for even more. Highs lows and mids are great and a clean listening experience is to be found overall and great for gaming movies and of course your music.

The App

 

Conclusion

Overall these are a decent set o cans to be fair and sound great with decent battery life and app support which is now becoming the norm at this price point and if you are on a budget perhaps you should give them a look, check out the video review below and the links to purchase.

Overview of the headphones

Specifications

Product name: Haylou $35 ANC Over-ear Noise Cancellation Headphones
Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 5.2
Communication range: about 10 meters (without any obstacles)
Headphone charging time: about 2.5 hours
Headphone battery life: ANC off, about 60 hours/ANC on, about 40 hours
Battery type: polymer lithium battery
Battery capacity: 600mAh
Audio codec: SBC/AAC
Supported protocol A2DP/AVRCP/HFP

Use the discount code below  – S35ANC

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Video Review