The UCD Centre for Digital Policy, with the support ofMinister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Dara Calleary TD and Microsoft, today announced the release of a newly created AI video series to help build AI policy understanding and capabilities among policymakers, developers and others.
Bringing expert academic, legal, industry, political and policy expertise and insights together, the five short videos provide a solid base for anyone interested in deepening their knowledge and understanding of this dynamic technology and social policy space. Contributors include Minister Dara Calleary; AI Ambassador, Patricia Scanlon; Drs. Elizabeth Farries and Susan Leavy from UCD; AI Advisory Council member, Barry Scannell; and TrialView’s Stephen Dowling.
The video series builds on a collaboration between UCD and Microsoft, which saw the introduction of the Microsoft-UCD Digital Policy Programme at UCD in 2020 with the goal of building digital policy capability amongst the public and private sector in Ireland and across the wider EU.
The announcement was made at the Digital Ireland Conference organised by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment today in Dublin Castle. The event sought to underline Ireland’s position as a digital leader at the heart of European and global digital developments and demonstrate Government’s commitment to drive greater clarity, coherence and cooperation in digital in Ireland.
Welcoming the release of the AI video series, Minister Dara Calleary TD said: “Ireland can lead in responsible AI and innovative AI and be at the core of AI innovation in Europe. As we look ahead, skilling up in AI will give people the skills and confidence to deal with and manage AI. Skills are also crucial to understanding ethical AI and person-centred AI which are two key principles of Ireland’s national AI strategy.”
Dr. Elizabeth Farries from the UCD Centre for Digital Policy said: “Communication and comprehension needs to occur along every point of the AI supply and development chain. We need communication and understanding of ethics from researchers and developers to Governments embracing these technologies. That is why we recommend capacity building for policymakers and developers alike through education including the programmes offered at UCD Centre for Digital Policy.”
James O’Connor, Microsoft Ireland Site Lead and Vice President of Microsoft Global Operations Service Center said: “AI is a transformative technology that has huge potential to empower workers, businesses and communities across Ireland. As the use of AI tools and technologies accelerates, it is important that both the policy opportunities and challenges created by the technology are well understood. By providing insights from a wide-ranging set of experts across academia, policy and industry, the new AI video series produced in collaboration with the UCD Centre for Digital Policy can help to deepen understanding in these key areas and ensure responsible AI principles are put into practice.”
The AI Video Series, along with a similar series on Cyber Security produced last year, are available to view at www.digitalpolicy.ie.
Workhuman, the company revolutionising the way employees celebrate, connect with and appreciate each other in the workplace, has unveiled the latest innovation in its platform – the addition of a generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Assistant to its cultural [workforce] intelligence tool, Workhuman iQ. Workhuman is launching this tool as many HR and business leaders struggle to access organisational insights, which are often buried in static, incomplete, and cumbersome data analytics systems. Workhuman iQ offers an intuitive generative AI interface that surfaces dynamic and actionable answers and insights powered by an organisation’s rich, authentic, and unique Social Recognition programme data, and Workhuman’s 25 years of culture and recognition research.
Workhuman iQ is the only solution in the industry that provides a comprehensive view of an organisation’s people dynamics, performance and skills, state of cultural health, and where and how work is getting done. Workhuman’s new AI Assistant within Workhuman iQ leverages the world’s first recognition-specific language model, built by Workhuman, and uses data from a customer’s own recognition programme to provide real-time insight that can inform decisive actions to maximise people and business results.
This innovation allows people managers and business leaders to quickly and easily get accurate and interactive answers to many types of employee, team, department, and organisation-level questions. These include: “Who within the organisation is demonstrating our company values?”, “What is the current skills profile of my team?”, “What impact is employee recognition having on top-talent or overall retention in my department?” and “Who are the best internal candidates for this role?” The AI Assistant provides highly accurate responses, putting answers at the fingertips of those who need them most without the need for even more technology or data analytics expertise.
Transforming the way companies monitor and enhance their culture, Workhuman iQ leverages proprietary algorithms and AI to analyse data within the Workhuman platform, offering leaders and managers clear insights into the state of their culture and talent. Acting as a virtual consultant and a single source of truth, AI Assistant and Workhuman iQ goes beyond reporting, uncovering previously hidden workplace insights and providing unparalleled insights into people dynamics, performance, skills, and more, empowering leaders to make informed and strategic decisions. The manual and labour-intensive process of generating actionable insights is replaced with real-time, on-demand trends, patterns, and precise answers to people and organisational questions.
“AI is changing the way work gets done, and with the introduction of generative AI tools within programmes that generate significant data, it opens the door for people without analytics backgrounds to easily access information it would have otherwise taken them days or weeks to uncover,”said Kevin Heinzelman, Workhuman Head of Product Management.“Workhuman iQ analyses an organisation’s unique recognition data and surfaces personalised, recommended actions based on identified patterns to help managers make informed decisions and foster an encouraging environment – further driving optimal team engagement, retention, and performance. Our solution equips managers with the information they need to better support their team and induces them to take a more proactive role in shaping culture, and our AI Assistant takes those analytics capabilities to the next level.”
The new AI Assistant comes on the heels of additional innovations in the Workhuman Platform, Admin Hub, and Automated Welcome Awards, which significantly improve and empower the Social Recognition Programme Manager experience.
Workhuman iQ empowers HR leaders and people managers to measure recognition programmes, track culture and engagement, measure skills and performance, and actively know how to improve every day. To learn more, please visit: www.workhuman.com/capabilities/workhuman-iq.
IDA Ireland, in collaboration with Microsoft and LinkedIn, has today published the latest in its Labour Market Pulse report series which provides insights and trends from the Irish labour market to help inform decision-makers across business, academia and public policy.
The latest edition of the Labour Market Pulse entitled Unlocking the Future: Ireland’s Prosperity with Generative AI, is focused on how generative AI can unlock the potential of Ireland’s workforce and the AI skills that will be central to enhancing the global competitiveness of Irish businesses.
Generative AI Enabled Workforce
According to the Labour Market Pulse, generative AI is set to be a catalyst for enhancing workforce productivity and reinventing work.
Based on data from over two million LinkedIn members in Ireland, the Labour Market Pulse indicates that it is older workers who have the most to gain from generative AI tools. 60% of Gen X (1965-1980) in Ireland have occupations where generative AI can complement or transform the work they do, freeing up their time for more value-added and creative work.
Millennials (1981-1996) were also identified as having a significant opportunity to leverage generative AI, with 56% in jobs where generative AI can complement or transform their role. For Gen Z (1997-2012), this number drops to 52%, with the remaining 48% currently working in roles whose core skills are less able to leverage generative AI.
Sectoral Impact of Generative AI
According to data from LinkedIn, Technology, Information and Media is the sector with the greatest potential to harness generative AI tools and technologies. More than 2 in 3 (72%) of occupations in the sector can use generative AI to transform key responsibilities.
This is followed closely by the Financial Services sector in which generative AI can transform 70% of roles in the sector, and the Professional Services sector, with more than half (63%) of job roles ready to be transformed by the technology.
Skills Vital to Ireland’s Competitiveness
Ireland is in a strong position to maximise the potential benefits of generative AI by accelerating the shift to a skills-based labour market. According to a recent joint study by Trinity College Dublin and Microsoft Ireland, 49% of organisations in Ireland are already using generative AI in some form, and Ireland has a strong skills foundation with the highest level of third level attainment and highest level of STEM graduates per capita in the EU[1].
Data skills, digital problem solving, and digital communication and collaboration were identified by LinkedIn as some of the core AI skills required by workers across all industries and functions. As generative AI tools are adopted by industry, skillsets required will continue to change.
Upskilling and reskilling among the current and future workforce will be vital to harnessing the opportunities presented by generative AI and to maintaining Ireland’s competitiveness in the era of AI.
Developing these skills in the workforce will enable businesses in Ireland to apply generative AI to generate new levels of insight, drive efficiencies, increase productivity and improve how people experience work.
Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Dara Calleary TD commented: “AI skills are vital for maintaining and enhancing Ireland’s competitiveness globally. As AI continues to transform the nature of work and revolutionise every sector of our economy, businesses will increasingly rely upon those with the skillsets to harness the potential of generative AI.
“I welcome this latest Labour Market Pulse published by IDA Ireland, Microsoft and LinkedIn, which spotlights the huge opportunities for both workers and businesses who develop and invest in AI upskilling and reskilling. By taking a collaborative approach across Government and industry in preparing our workforce for the AI transformation, we can ensure our businesses have the skills they need for the future and, in turn, better support our companies to innovate and compete at a global level.”
Commenting on the Labour Market Pulse, Michael Lohan, CEO of IDA Ireland said: “An AI-enabled workforce is now critical to transforming our enterprise base and supporting future investment to Ireland. The latest Labour Market Pulse, delivered in partnership with Microsoft and LinkedIn, provides important insights into Ireland’s readiness to embrace the transformative and ground-breaking power of generative AI.
“With AI set to transform a wide range of industries and occupations, leaders will need to be proactive in upskilling their workforce to develop the AI skills and knowledge necessary to leverage the technology. By continuing to invest in upskilling opportunities, we can unlock the true potential of Ireland’s workforce and ensure we remain a highly attractive location to do business well into the future.”
Commenting on the Labour Market Pulse, James O’Connor, Microsoft Ireland Site Lead and Vice President of Microsoft Global Operations Service Center, said, “Generative AI is a transformative technology that has significant potential to empower our workforce, enhance productivity and unlock exciting new business opportunities. Findings from the latest Labour Market Pulse point towards the need for Ireland to move to a skills-based labour market.
“As generative AI becomes more prolific in the workplace, it is crucial that industry continues to collaborate with Government and academia to empower the current and future generations with the AI skills and knowledge to take full advantage of the technology. At Microsoft, we’re playing our part to help skill up Ireland for the era of AI by rolling out a national AI skilling programme that aims to provide everyone across Ireland with the opportunity to develop the necessary skills. We believe that by taking an all-of-society approach to digital skilling, we can ensure that everyone can fully harness the AI opportunity and advance our digital economy.”
Head of LinkedIn Ireland Sue Duke added: “The skills that professionals need to thrive in an AI-powered world of work are dramatically changing. We expect to see a 73% change in skills needed in the Irish workforce by 2030, up from a 54% change expected before the rise of generative AI. By policy makers, companies and professionals focusing now on building the right skills in the workforce to adopt and complement generative AI, we have the opportunity to be at the forefront of this transformation and maximise its potential for Ireland’s economy.”
GlobalLogic, a Hitachi group company, today announced a first-of-its-kind Platform-of-Platforms architecture designed to support deployment of enterprise-grade artificial intelligence (AI). GlobalLogic has designed the architecture to address the critical challenges every enterprise must overcome when operationalizing AI and generative AI (GenAI) at scale.
To realize the potential that AI promises, enterprises must address data privacy and security requirements, prevent intellectual property (IP) leakage and manage legal risks. They also need to identify an approach that allows for technical agility as new models, platforms and other innovations take shape. At the same time, leaders must manage organizational change and find effective strategies for controlling costs and driving return on AI/GenAI investments.
With over a decade of experience in delivering and deploying AI in software products and enterprise platforms, GlobalLogic offers a unique perspective on the design, data and engineering challenges of enterprise-grade, production-ready AI and GenAI. Created in partnership with leading hyperscalers and leveraging their foundational GenAI capabilities, GlobalLogic’s architecture is the first of its kind for unifying and industrializing enterprise-grade AI and GenAI solutions.
GlobalLogic identifies responsibility, reliability and reusability as key to enterprise-grade AI
“As companies work to move from AI and GenAI prototypes to enterprise-scale deployments, it has become clear that using this technology requires far more than sending prompts to a large language model (LLM),” said Sumit Sood, COO and Head of Engineering, GlobalLogic. “We have been helping enterprises adopt GenAI since 2021 and ‘traditional’ AI for much longer, often in life-critical situations. We understand what needs to be done to ensure responsibility, reliability and reusability in AI platforms.”
Sood explains that the responsibility tenet focuses on the goal of offering responses that are accurate, lawful and in compliance with security and governance requirements. The reliability tenet requires mechanisms for correcting model drift, hallucinations and security threats over time. Finally, the reusability tenet is crucial to implementing common data ingestion, preparation and model training and shared consumption mechanisms – which help contain costs and mitigate risk by preventing duplicative work.
GlobalLogic’s AI Platform-of-Platforms architecture addresses critical needs related to observability, security, governance and consumption. It makes it possible to integrate best-of-breed models, algorithms and solutions whether deployed in the cloud or on premises. It also includes accelerators for rapidly deploying some of the most sought-after use cases, including customer support and operations, software development and legacy migration, and enterprise knowledge management.
“The GenAI landscape is highly dynamic,” Sood said. “In an environment where the ‘best’ technology can change month to month or even week to week, GlobalLogic’s Platform-of-Platforms approach lets our clients pick the winners to deliver the best enterprise-class GenAI to support their business outcomes.”
Worldwide, 12 million dogs are in shelters waiting for their forever home, yet many do not get that chance, and the problem is reaching critical levels.
Research suggests that the quality and characteristics of shelter dog photos, such as floppy ears and closed mouths can drastically reduce adoption time*.
That’s why leading global pet food brand, PEDIGREE®, which has been supporting adoption for more than a decade, has turned to revolutionary technology to help give every shelter dog its time in the spotlight – and get seen by potential pet parents.
Launching today, Adoptable is the PEDIGREE brand’s first-of-its-kind initiative that combines proprietary AI technology with PEDIGREE’s substantial global ad reach to create picture perfect ads of shelter dogs in need of a home.
By using amateur dog photos captured by shelter workers, Adoptable technology gives every pup the professional-grade photography “glow up” they deserve.
“Adoptable is a transformational step for us at PEDIGREE. We’re committed to helping end dog homelessness around the world. Now that commitment can be at the heart of everything we do – in every ad,” Global Brand VP Fabio Alings says.
With Adoptable, a digital dog double provides information about the pose and general characteristics of the dog. Then, a machine learning model refines all the features to make the final image look just like the specific dog that is available for adoption.
With just a few pictures, Adoptable can reposition the dogs into different poses and create assets that are used in any PEDIGREE advertisement, while keeping the authentic characteristics and look of the shelter dog.
The technology allows shelter dogs in advertising to change based on the viewer’s location and switch out in real-time when a dog is adopted.
Global Marketing Manager, Mehgan Recker says what’s different about Adoptable is that it allows any ad that PEDIGREE makes to live its purpose – not just a few adoption ads.
“If we help shelter dogs be seen, we can help them be adopted. Now every dollar we spend on media doesn’t just take our products to the world; it takes adoptable shelter dogs too.”
Nexus Studios’ Technical Director, Vegard Myklebust says of the project, “This is an amazing opportunity to use bleeding edge technology for good. There’s simply no other way that this could have been done at the global scale with such important hyperlocal impact, than by harnessing the latest machine learning technology and our digital image making expertise.”
Adoptable also matches breeds to the location and traits that best suit the dog through geo-targeting and First-Party Data – making sure the right dog is being shown to the right person.
Launched first in the PEDIGREE brand’s global test market, New Zealand, the Adoptable technology will be rolled out in other markets in 2024.
Zoom Video Communications, Inc. announced Zoom Workplace, its AI-powered, open collaboration platform, and introduced new AI Companion expansions to help reimagine teamwork. Zoom’s latest products and features, including new AI Companion features for Zoom Phone and extended capabilities with Ask AI Companion, a refreshed look within the Zoom app, and more, will provide its customers with the all-in-one AI-powered platform they need to power modern work. Zoom also announced customer experience enhancements to Zoom Contact Center, so businesses can strengthen customer relationships and leverage real-time AI-powered insights to improve live agent engagements.
“We have seen the positive impact that Zoom AI Companion has had on our business and our customers, transforming how we work by freeing up precious time for collaborative teamwork,” said Smita Hashim, chief product officer at Zoom. “Zoom Workplace with AI Companion will help solve real customer problems by bringing the core collaboration solutions into a single AI powered platform to help improve productivity, efficiency, and the overall workday, all within the Zoom experience users trust and love.”
Drive Impact with AI Companion
Zoom continues to elevate AI within its platform, helping users harness their productivity directly within their existing workflows, enhancing employees’ skills, and empowering teams to focus their time where it matters. Zoom’s latest AI Companion innovations will include Ask AI Companion, an enhancement of the digital assistant that will help users prepare for their workday across Zoom Workplace, plus AI Companion for Zoom Phone and additional capabilities for Team Chat and Whiteboard. All AI Companion features will continue to be included at no additional cost with the paid services in eligible Zoom user accounts.
Ask AI Companion will provide a new way to interact with AI Companion across the Zoom platform. Users can enhance their productivity and be better prepared for their workday with Ask AI Companion, which will gather, synthesise, and share information from Zoom Meetings, Mail, Team Chat, Notes, Docs, and more. Ask AI Companion will also help prepare users for and recap meetings, show relevant action items, draft agendas, and summarise chat and email threads, as well as documents. In a later release after the initial launch, Ask AI Companion will be able to pull relevant content from select third-party applications (if the customer chooses to enable them) to be even more helpful.
Zoom Phone is now boosted with AI Companion capabilities to help make calls and follow-up more productive. With AI Companion in Zoom Phone, users can request a post-call summary and next steps, so they can focus on the conversation instead of taking notes. If they miss an important call, voicemail prioritisation helps elevate urgent messages, moving them to the top of the queue, and voicemail task extraction delivers tasks from voicemails to help users understand the next steps without listening to every voicemail. Team SMS thread summary also provides a concise overview of Team SMS threads in PowerPack, so users can quickly catch up after stepping away.
Other AI Companion innovations across the platform will include new Team Chat and Whiteboard capabilities. In Team Chat, AI Companion now helps users save time with smart scheduling that automatically detects the intent for a meeting in chat and suggests a meeting time, and in the future will provide sentence completion and will expand to support 38 languages (in preview) for the chat compose and thread summary features. Zoom Whiteboard users are now able to generate and refine whiteboard flowcharts and mind maps using a simple prompt to kick-start ideation and creativity. For more information about AI Companion innovations, visit the Zoom blog.
Reimagine Teamwork with Zoom Workplace
Zoom Workplace, the company’s AI-powered collaboration platform, will deliver new innovations to help businesses reimagine teamwork, facilitate connections, improve productivity, and optimise flexible work experiences. Zoom Workplace will elevate the Zoom experience with Zoom AI Companion so that all employees within a company can be more productive, collaborate better, and enhance their skills.
Zoom Workplace will continue to be an open platform that enables customer choice. Zoom’s APIs, SDKs, and over 2,500 integrations in the Zoom App Marketplace make it easy for customers to integrate Zoom into existing tech or integrate users’ favourite apps into Zoom.
With the introduction of Zoom Workplace, Zoom is unveiling a refreshed user experience with more choices, including the ability to choose from four colour themes within the Zoom app, so users can make the app their own. Hosts will also have the opportunity to add customised virtual meeting backgrounds to tailor the feel or focus of the meeting.
“With Zoom, there aren’t any challenges with implementing complex tools, so we can focus on engaging our employees and collaborating on the work that matters,” said Diofanto Rosales, vice president of digital workplace and IT infrastructure at Flex. “Zoom Workplace will bring all our essential work tools together in a single app, making it easier than ever to get work done.”
For Zoom Meetings, users will see a new Meetings tab within the Zoom app that will allow users to collaborate before, during, and after meetings. It supports traditional calendar views and serves as the central place for agendas, recordings, and other shared assets such as documents, plus AI Companion smart recordings and meeting summaries. Last year Zoom introduced continuous meeting chat, which helps users continue chat conversations so collaboration can continue outside of meetings asynchronously and throughout the life of a project. With the new Meetings tab, users can access continuous meeting chats from the Meeting card before and after the meeting.
During meetings, the new multi-speaker view will automatically adapt the video layout to highlight active speakers to help attendees follow the discussion more easily. AI-powered portrait lighting will help illuminate users’ faces in poor lighting, and generative AI virtual backgrounds will allow users to create custom backgrounds.
Additional new features for Meetings will include a customisable toolbar that will allow users to pin their most-used features, multi-share, which will allow multiple participants to share their screens and documents, whiteboards, and notes simultaneously, and document collaboration that will provide the ability to select documents, streamline document access permissions, and co-edit right from meetings with documents from third-party apps.
In Zoom Team Chat, asynchronous communication will be boosted by Team Chat tabs that will help users stay organised by keeping channel-related assets like links, whiteboards, and resources in a single view, shared spaces that provide a shared grouping of channels to help users better organise conversations and improve discoverability of relevant project or team based topics, and workflow automation, a powerful, no-code workflow engine, will be easily configurable to automate business tasks in Team Chat.
For hybrid and onsite organisations, navigating the office will be easier than ever with the introduction of a Workspaces tab, providing access to Workspace Reservation with wayfinding and Visitor Management directly from the Zoom Workplace app. To help make meetings more inclusive, Zoom Rooms will include the option to enable new smart name tags, which will be able to automatically apply name tags to people in a Zoom Room during a meeting.
When one screen isn’t enough, users will be able to expand Zoom Rooms with a companion device for an additional screen to collaborate with audio and video. For Workvivo customers, a new integration with Zoom Rooms will provide the ability to instantly broadcast important updates, news, and events to employees using Workvivo TV with certified devices for Zoom Rooms.
“Businesses are looking for AI-powered solutions that will help them move the dial by boosting employee productivity and team collaboration,” said Zeus Kerravala, Principal Analyst at ZK Research. “Zoom’s newest innovations, including its release of Zoom Workplace and Ask AI Companion, demonstrate its commitment to deploying AI that is intuitive and effective across one platform to improve productivity and collaboration.”
At launch, Zoom One bundles will be rebranded as Zoom Workplace bundles, giving new and existing customers simple pricing for our different offerings. For more information about Zoom Workplace, visit the Zoom blog.
Strengthen Customer Relationships with Zoom Business Services
Zoom’s business services include AI-powered solutions for marketing, customer care, and sales. Tightly integrated with Zoom Workplace, Zoom Business Services empower customer-facing employees to provide exceptional experiences throughout the customer lifecycle.
Zoom Contact Center already includes AI Companion for Contact Center at no additional cost. Further real-time capabilities available with AI Expert Assist include intelligently retrieving and suggesting the best responses from a curated set of knowledge bases, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and other systems of record. Now supervisors are getting even more AI Companion for Contact Center capabilities. Supervisors now have visibility into their agents’ live engagements with real-time customer sentiment, live transcriptions, and conversation summaries from a single dashboard to help them better manage agents and easily identify when they need to provide assistance.
In Zoom Contact Center, businesses can now expand their digital communication channels to include WhatsApp and inbound email, giving customers more flexibility and choice, and making it easier for agents to engage and respond to customers.
Agents will benefit from custom app integration with Zoom’s open and flexible framework that allows teams to build apps from proprietary or third-party data sources that surface relevant customer information directly within the agent desktop, which reduces toggling between apps and allows for personalisation and faster resolutions. Agents will also benefit from deep integration with Zoom Workplace, which will allow them to seamlessly direct transfer customers with AI-generated engagement summaries to back-office experts using Zoom Phone Power Pack, enabling seamless escalations and helping reduce handling time.
Zoom Contact Center and Zoom Phone will also offer an integration with PCI Pal to enable secure capture of payment data, including PCI attestation of compliance (AOC). Also, Zoom Contact Center customers now have the ability to store certain data locally in Zoom’s EU data center, designed to meet the data storage needs of EU-based customers.
Revenue organisations who use Zoom Revenue Accelerator can now enhance their customer conversations with deal memos, which will provide a brief summary of a conversation and an analysis of its impact on the possibility of winning a deal. Coming soon, a built-in automated scorecard will help improve sales outcomes by creating scorecards that rate customer interactions and provide actionable feedback.
For marketing professionals, Zoom Events enhancements amplify their hybrid events to help make them more engaging. With new AI Companion image generation, hosts can now create custom images based on a simple text prompt for event registration pages, virtual backgrounds, and marketing emails. To help bridge the gap between hybrid events and in-person events, the Swoogo integration for Zoom Eventsallows event professionals to reach broader audiences. For more information about Zoom’s business services innovations, visit the Zoom blog.
Newly announced products and features are expected to roll out over April and May. Some features and products may not be available for all regions and industry verticals at launch.
The pharmaceutical industry has long been a pioneer in scientific advancement, bringing life-saving drugs and treatments to patients worldwide. But just as medicine itself continues to evolve, so too do the methods used to create them. Modern technologies are transforming every stage of pharmaceutical production, from drug discovery and design to manufacturing and distribution. This surge in innovation promises not only faster development of new medications, but also a future of personalized medicine, tailored to individual needs.
From Bench to Bottle: AI and Machine Learning Take Center Stage
One of the most transformative forces in pharmaceutical production is the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). These powerful tools are fundamentally changing the way drug discovery happens. Traditionally, this process has been a slow and laborious affair, involving extensive laboratory testing and sifting through mountains of data. AI and ML algorithms, however, can analyze vast datasets of chemical compounds and peptides, patient information, and disease biology to identify potential drug targets and predict how molecules might interact with them. This not only accelerates the discovery process but also increases the chances of finding more effective and targeted therapies.
Imagine a researcher trying to find a key that fits a specific lock. Traditionally, they would have to test hundreds or even thousands of different keys one by one. With AI, however, the computer can analyze the structure of the lock and identify keys with a higher probability of fitting. This significantly reduces the time and resources needed to find the right drug candidate.
One example of AI’s impact is the work of Insilico Medicine. In 2019, they used AI to develop a molecule targeting a specific protein linked to fibrosis in just 46 days. This molecule, INS018_055, is now undergoing Phase II clinical trials, demonstrating the incredible potential of AI to expedite drug development.
Beyond Discovery: Optimizing Production with Automation and Data
The role of technology extends far beyond the initial stages of drug discovery. Modern pharmaceutical production facilities are increasingly automated, with robots and sensors taking over many of the repetitive tasks involved in manufacturing. This not only improves efficiency and consistency but also minimizes the risk of human error.
Furthermore, the Internet of Things (IoT) is playing a growing role in pharmaceutical production. Sensors embedded in equipment can continuously monitor critical parameters like temperature, pressure, and humidity. This real-time data allows for proactive maintenance, preventing equipment failures and ensuring optimal production conditions. Additionally, data analytics can be used to identify trends and predict potential issues before they occur, further streamlining the manufacturing process.
The Rise of Continuous Manufacturing: A Paradigm Shift
Traditionally, pharmaceutical production has relied on batch processing, where large quantities of drugs are manufactured in discrete batches. However, continuous manufacturing offers a more efficient and flexible alternative and is being increasingly used by vitamin manufacturers around the world. This approach involves the continuous flow of raw materials through a series of interconnected processing units, resulting in a smaller physical footprint and faster production times.
Continuous manufacturing also allows for greater real-time control over product quality. With continuous monitoring and data analysis, any deviations from specifications can be identified and addressed immediately, minimizing the risk of producing defective batches. This not only improves product quality but also reduces waste and production costs.
Personalized Medicine: Tailoring Treatments to the Individual
One of the most exciting applications of technology in pharmaceuticals is the emergence of personalized medicine. This approach aims to develop treatments that are tailored to the specific genetic makeup and biological needs of each patient. Advancements in genomics and bioinformatics are allowing researchers to identify genetic variations that influence how individuals respond to medications.
This information can be used to develop drugs that target specific patient populations or even create individualized treatment regimens. For instance, 3D printing technology has the potential to revolutionize personalized medicine by enabling the production of customized drug dosages and delivery systems. Imagine printing a pill with the exact dosage required for a specific patient, eliminating the need for imprecise cutting or multiple medications.
Figuring out the most suiting solution for your medication needs can be part of a personalised healthcare approach. British people treating thyroid disorders like to buy Cytomel online in the United Kingdom after learning how precise dosing can improve their treatment outcomes. This allows them to manage their health confidently while maintaining the correct hormone levels. It also supports the growing shift towards customised treatment options that align with each patient’s needs.
Blockchain: Ensuring Transparency and Security in the Supply Chain
The complex global supply chains of pharmaceutical products are susceptible to counterfeiting and diversion. Blockchain technology such as ServBlock, with its secure and transparent ledger system, offers a potential solution to these challenges. By creating a digital record of every step in the manufacturing and distribution process, blockchain can ensure the authenticity and traceability of medications.
This not only protects patients from counterfeit drugs but also allows for faster and more efficient recalls in case of product defects. Additionally, blockchain can improve logistics and inventory management, leading to a more secure and efficient supply chain for pharmaceutical products.
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR): Training the Next Generation of Pharma Professionals
The pharmaceutical industry relies heavily on a skilled workforce with a deep understanding of complex processes and equipment. VR and AR technologies are revolutionizing how this workforce is trained. VR simulations can immerse trainees in realistic, virtual environments where they can practice procedures, troubleshoot equipment malfunctions, and learn about complex manufacturing processes in a safe and controlled setting. AR, on the other hand, can overlay digital information onto the real world, allowing trainees to visualize data and interact with equipment in a more interactive way.
These immersive technologies not only improve the effectiveness of training but also make it more engaging and accessible. Trainees can learn at their own pace and practice complex procedures in a risk-free environment, leading to a more skilled and confident workforce.
The Future of Pharma: A Tech-Driven Landscape
The integration of modern technologies is transforming the pharmaceutical industry from the ground up. AI is accelerating drug discovery, automation is optimizing production, and personalized medicine is tailoring treatments to individual patients. These advancements hold immense promise for the future of healthcare, leading to the development of more effective, safer, and accessible medications for all.
As technology continues to evolve, we can expect even more groundbreaking innovations in pharmaceutical production. From the development of new drug delivery systems using nanotechnology to the use of virtual and augmented reality for training and remote monitoring, the future of pharma is undeniably tech-driven. This exciting new era promises to deliver a new wave of life-saving treatments, improving the lives of patients worldwide.
Ireland’s perennial problem of consumer inertia could be tackled head-on by effective use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is according to six in ten compliance professionals operating in Ireland’s financial service industry, who believe that through the technology’s identity verification and data capture capabilities – the amount of time it takes to safely and securely onboard customers for banking and other financial services could be significantly reduced, thus making it easier for consumers to shop around and switch – and in turn pocket valuable savings.
Almost one in five (18pc) compliance experts say that they believe that the risks of AI outweigh the benefits of the technology, while one in four (25pc) however are relatively confident in the technology, feeling AI has an equal amount of risks as benefits. One in eight (13pc) go as far as saying they believe the advantages will outweigh the risks.
This is according to the findings of a new survey by the Compliance Institute, which polled 175 compliance professionals working primarily in Irish financial services organisations nationwide on their attitudes towards AI, a technology which has developed at a rapid pace in recent years.
Commenting on the survey findings, Michael Kavanagh, CEO of the Compliance Institute said:
Mr Kavanagh explained:
“It has long been accepted in Ireland thata general apathy and lack of proactivity when it comes to consumer behaviour around financial products and services costs the public thousands of euro every year. In Ireland, people very rarely switch banks or shop around for financial products and are slow to move insurers, with recent Central Bank research showing that only one in four people switch their car or home insurer when renewing their policy.
It could be that the correct use of AI could actually benefit consumers by significantly reducing the amount of time and effort consumers have to put into doing things like switching banks or insurers.
AI has the potential to also reduce customer onboarding costs to those organisations operating within the financial services industry. Know Your Customer (KYC) and the whole onboarding system is still relatively old-fashioned in many organisations when you think of how far we’ve come technology-wise in the last 10 to 20 years. The costs and time involved on both sides are still too high and there is an expectation that AI could be employed to reduce both. If a person had to jump through just one hoop instead of ten to change their banking provider, there’s a good chance they’d be more likely to do it”.
When it comes to the AI’s risk benefit ratio, our survey found that for almost half of the compliance practitioners asked, the jury is still out. However, most have confidence in its ability to drive change for the better when it comes to consumers and switching”.
The Compliance Institute says however, that the depth of the concerns revealed in the study around AI – and the potential for the technology to cause harm – should not be underestimated.
Mr. Kavanagh cautioned,
“Some of these concerns relate to privacy and misinformation issues, the potential of the technology to lead to job displacement, or even the risk of AI-altered images and videos disrupting the democratic process. This is why strong regulation in this area is so important and why the recently approved EU AI Act is so necessary. This regulation should ensure that AI systems are designed, developed and deployed in an ethical and trustworthy manner and that the fundamental rights, health and safety of the individual are protected while promoting responsible innovation.”
Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Dara Calleary TD, joined Microsoft at a Connected Hub in north Mayo as it announced the rollout of AI Skill-Up-A-Thons to rural communities across the country and AI masterclasses for businesses in the Kerry region. The rural skilling initiatives are a key part of Microsoft’s ambition to ‘Skill Up Ireland’ providing every person in the country with the opportunity to skill up for the era of AI.
The AI Skill-Up-A-Thons are designed to help equip those with little or no understanding of AI with the basic knowledge, skills and competencies in AI. Those who complete the free, 4-hour course will earn an industry recognised Career Essentials Certificate in Generative AI and gain access to LinkedIn Premium to help support those looking to develop a career in AI.
AI Skill-Up-A-Thons are being delivered in partnership with FIT (Fastrack into Information Technology) and with the support of local authorities, ETBs and the large network of Connected Hubs throughout the country.
Learners will be given the opportunity to take part in a series of AI Skill-Up-A-Thons which are taking place in Counties including Cavan, Galway, Kilkenny, Mayo, and Tipperary in the coming weeks with other locations to be announced in the coming months.
The first AI Skill-Up-A-Thon was held at the Connected Hub in Knockmore in north Mayo, where Minister Calleary joined learners as they developed the practical and transversal skills necessary to thrive in an AI age and secured their Generative AI certification.
Microsoft has also announced that it will be rolling out a series of AI masterclasses for businesses in Munster focusing on providing business leaders in rural Ireland with the skills and insights to adopt AI within their organisation.
Developed in collaboration with the RDI Hub, the AI masterclasses will be delivered both in-person and online from now until September.
Speaking at the inaugural AI Skill-Up-A-Thon, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Dara Calleary TD, said: “I welcome the announcement by Microsoft that it is providing new AI upskilling and reskilling opportunities in communities across rural Ireland, including here in Mayo. AI tools and technology have significant potential to transform how we work and do business. But to fully unlock their benefits and meet the ambition of our National AI Strategy, individuals and businesses must start to develop in-demand AI skills and capabilities. It is only by working together across Government, industry, and the education sector that we can demystify AI and ensure Ireland’s workforce has the AI skills that will be needed now and into the future.”
James O’Connor, Microsoft Ireland Site Leader and Vice-President Microsoft Global Operations Service Centre, said:“AI has the potential to empower people and organisations across the country but it’s critical that everyone, everywhere has the skills to harness its benefits. Last October, we launchedour national AI skilling programme to help give everyone in Ireland the opportunity to upskill and reskill. One of our key ambitions as part of the programme is to bring AI skilling directly to people, communities and businesses in rural Ireland and ensure they are given equal opportunity to engage in AI.
“That’s why today we’re rolling out the first-ever AI Skill-Up-A-Thons across rural Ireland. Through these new AI learning pathways, we want to empower people of all ages, backgrounds and experience with the skills and knowledge to succeed in an AI-enabled economy. Our new AI masterclasses, in collaboration with the RDI Hub in Kerry, will also help businesses develop the tools and skills to adopt AI at speed and support growth into the future.
By providing these AI rural skilling initiatives, as well as our significant investment in skills more broadly, we will continue to play our part in helping to Skill Up Ireland for the era of AI.”
Danielle Barr, Director of Training & Employment Services at Fastrack into Information Technology (FIT) said: “We’re delighted to be working with our long-term partner, Microsoft, on the delivery of AI Skill-Up-A-Thons across the country. AI is such a powerful tool. But we need to ensure that every person, at all levels, can access and most importantly understand how it can benefit their education and professional journey. By rolling out the AI Skill-Up-A-Thons in Connected Hubs and other venues in rural Ireland, we can ensure that every person is given the opportunity to learn about AI and understand its importance.”
Speaking about her experience in taking part in the AI Skill-Up-A-Thon in north Mayo, Sandra Hennigan said: “AI is everywhere these days, and it is important that we all understand this powerful digital technology and its potential. Taking part in Microsoft’s AI Skill-Up-A-Thon in a local Connected Hub in north Mayo provided the perfect chance to do just that. As well as gaining new insights into AI, I believe the knowledge and skills I gained during the AI Skill-Up-A-Thon will be very valuable in my own job and help to boost my productivity and creativity. The instructors were incredibly helpful and helped open my eyes to the possibilities of AI in my own daily life. I now feel like I have the confidence to start applying AI tools in my work and I would encourage everyone to use the opportunity to begin developing their AI skills today.”
Liam Cronin, CEO, RDI Hub said: “The RDI hub has always had a powerful connection with the topic of Artificial Intelligence. The RDI hub building itself is named after and dedicated to Professor John McCarthy, as a tribute to the Stanford University computer scientist who was one of the founders of the discipline of artificial intelligence and his father was born in Cromane, near Killorglin in Co Kerry. From our very first year in business, we have run an annual two-day artificial intelligence summer school focusing on both core and applied research, and we are keen to continue this momentum. The collaboration with Microsoft helps us deliver exceptional AI masterclasses at scale across Munster and we look forward to continued growth and meaningful contributions to the AI landscape in 2024 and beyond.”
