Our 2024 Agenda
Thursday 24 October
9am – 9.10am
Welcome & Introduction to the Summit 2024.
9.10am – 9.20am
The Data Landscape in Ireland.
9.20am – 9.50am
Data Is the New Bullsh*t – GenAI Edition!
Data Is the New Bullsh*t – GenAI Edition!
Guest Lecture with Scott Taylor, Author & Data Evangelist
Why the way we talk about data is holding the industry back and what YOU can do about it!
Are you struggling to gain leadership support, craving stakeholder engagement, and begging for proper funding? Even though you may create analytic Gen AI wonders with your data, it won’t matter unless you explain the value in practical business terms. Join The Data Whisperer’s rollicking and riotous review of current buzzwords and some practical tips including:
• Differentiating between a data management narrative and other data storytelling and data literacy efforts.
• Developing strategies to secure sponsorship and funding.
• The 3Vs of Data Storytelling for Data Management.
Speakers
Scott Taylor
9.50am – 10.10am
Gen AI in Dell Technologies - A Game Changer.
Gen AI in Dell Technologies - A Game Changer.
Guest Lecture with Neil Bowden, AI Business Development Executive, Dell
In this talk we will discuss how Dell digital decided where to focus their efforts to deliver GenAI solutions that deliver real value to the employees and customers of Dell Technologies.
Speakers
Neil Bowden
10.10am – 10.30am
AI FOMO - Balancing speed, security and value
Mid-Morning Break
Coffee & Networking
Thursday 24 October
11.20am – 11.50am
'Generative AI' - Hyperpower or Overhyped?
'Generative AI' - Hyperpower or Overhyped?
Analytics Institute: Senior Panel Discussion
Generative AI, Hyperpowered or Overhyped? This Year, the Analytics Institute brings five of the best for its Panel Discussion on the stratespheric rise of Generative AI. Garvan Callan returns to chair the debate.
Speakers
Garvan Callan
Larry Mullen
Alan McGlinn
John Lyons
Glenn Sheridan
11.50am – 12.10pm
Deep Fakes and the Threat to Democracy.
Deep Fakes and the Threat to Democracy.
Guest Lecture with Marja Laitinen, Senior Director of AI, Microsoft
AI generated deepfakes are realistic, easy for nearly anyone to make, and increasingly being used for fraud, abuse, manipulation, and subversion of democracy. In this session, we’ll provide some insights into the harms that deepfakes present and their impact in undermining our society. At Microsoft we have outlined a comprehensive approach to combat abusive AI-generated content and protect people and communities, and we believe it is imperative that the tech sector continue to take proactive steps to address these harms.
Speakers
Marja Laitinen
12.10pm – 12.30pm
Accelerating Decision-Making in Supply Chain with Data – A Case Study
12.30pm – 12.50pm
Inform, Engage and Empower: How CNN Underscored uses Data and Storytelling to uphold the network’s mission.
Inform, Engage and Empower: How CNN Underscored uses Data and Storytelling to uphold the network’s mission.
Guest Lecture with Rachel Quigley, Managing Editor, CNN Underscored
In 1980, Ted Turner launched CNN and shared his vision for the news network saying: “We are journalists, designers, and technologists, united by a mission to inform, engage and empower the world.” In the last 40+ years, the company has constantly evolved and changed but has stayed true to this mission. In 2017, CNN launched its product review site Underscored. As the commerce space becomes increasingly crowded and more traditional publishers are turning to ecommerce to increase revenue, find out how we use data and storytelling to ensure Underscored stays true to the mission statement.
Speakers
Rachel Quigley
Lunch
Networking
Thursday 24 October
1.50pm – 2.10pm
Is Agentic AI the new electricity?
2.10pm – 2.30pm
Technology is the Answer, But What’s the Question?: Why Design is the Social Technology We Need for tomorrow.
Technology is the Answer, But What’s the Question?: Why Design is the Social Technology We Need for tomorrow.
Guest Lecture with Trevor Vaugh, Public Service Design Lead, Dept. of Public Expenditure and Reform
We have an unprecedented opportunity to shape an exciting future through innovation. As we navigate rapid technological advances, it’s important to recognise that while traditional technologies are essential for progress, they alone are not enough. To truly benefit people and society, we need to complement traditional technology with something equally vital—social technology. While traditional technologies push the boundaries of what’s possible, social technology, rooted in empathy, creativity, and collaboration, ensures that these developments meet deeper human needs. Grounded in sensemaking, craft, beauty, and even fun, social technology enables us to create solutions that go beyond growth, efficiency and profit, delivering genuine meaning and impact. By combining traditional technology with human-centred design, we can foster innovations that don’t just disrupt, but genuinely improve lives. This approach helps us create a future were technology and humanity work in harmony. Drawing on examples from Trevor’s work, this talk explores how design thinking, as a form of social technology, provides a vital balance between the technical and the human, creating innovations that are sustainable, meaningful, and truly transformative
Speakers
Trevor Vaugh
2.30pm – 2.50pm
AI in the Human Sciences Studio.
2.50pm – 3.10pm
Precision Play-Leveraging AI and Math to Scout the Premier Leagues Future Stars.
Precision Play-Leveraging AI and Math to Scout the Premier Leagues Future Stars.
Guest Lecture with David Sumpter, Professor & Author
It wasn’t long after applied mathematics professor, David Sumpter, published his first book Soccermatics in 2016, until football clubs across the world started to contact him. Eager to find an edge over their opponents, they wanted to know how they could use maths to, for example, scout hidden gems in lesser-known leagues, find weak points in the opposition, and improve their defensive structure. David has worked with both small and big teams across the world, including England, Ajax, Barcelona, Hammarby in Sweden and several Premier League clubs (who prefer to remain secret). Recently, the company he co-founded, Twelve Football have built Twelve GPT — a model incorporating David and the other data scientists he works with knowledge of the game – which allows everyone, from fans to board members, to gain insights into football using data
Speakers
Professor David Sumpter
Mid Afternoon Break
Coffee & Networking
Thursday 24 October
3.40pm – 4pm
AI against the odds: Saving lives during COVID-19 & challenging Netflix at Canal+ - with Irish Data Science Platform Zerve
AI against the odds: Saving lives during COVID-19 & challenging Netflix at Canal+ - with Irish Data Science Platform Zerve
Guest Lecture with Mohamed Lemine Beydia, Head of Data & Analytics, Canal+ Group and Dr. Greg Michaelson, CPO and Co-Founder Zerve AI
Join us for an inspiring keynote featuring two groundbreaking AI projects powered by Zerve, the Irish data science platform. Dr. Greg Michaelson, Chief Product Officer at Zerve, will share the riveting story of developing the Covid Forecasting Engine for the US government—a race against time that ultimately saved thousands of lives. Then, hear from Mohamed Beydia, Head of Data Science at Canal+ Group, as he unveils how they’re leveraging AI to challenge streaming giants like Netflix. Discover how Zerve’s innovative platform is enabling organizations to harness the power of AI and create transformative solutions in critical domains.
Speakers
Mohamed Lemine Beydia
Dr Greg Michaelson
4pm – 4.20pm
Data at 30,000 Feet: Ryanair's Journey Through a Decade of Analytics.
Data at 30,000 Feet: Ryanair's Journey Through a Decade of Analytics.
Guest Lecture with Michael Mouire, Head of Data and Analytics, Ryanair
From high level strategies to ground level execution, this talk will guide you through the key milestones, challenges and breakthroughs that have transformed how Ryanair leverages data today.
Speakers
Michael Mouire
4.20pm – 4.40pm
How Data Storytelling Bridges the Last Mile in Analytics.
How Data Storytelling Bridges the Last Mile in Analytics.
Guest Lecture with Brent Dykes, Founder and Chief Data Storyteller, Analytics Hero
In today’s data-driven world, a heavy emphasis is placed on collecting, preparing, and visualizing data. However, many organizations are failing when it comes to the “last mile” of analytics where insights are turned into action. This presentation explores how data storytelling can help organizations to bridge this last mile, transforming analysis findings into compelling narratives that drive decision-making and build data cultures.
Speakers
Brent Dykes
4.40pm – 5pm
Modern Analytics - The Business Bedrock in a World Post Data Science Hype.
Modern Analytics - The Business Bedrock in a World Post Data Science Hype.
Guest Lecture with Dr. Enda Ridge, EMEA Analytics Lead for Google Shopping and Author of Guerrilla Analytics
Machine learning! Deep Learning! Generative AI! The tech world is a whirlwind of change and data scientists, and business are scrambling to keep up.
But as businesses automate decision making and creativity, where do we focus human decision making and creativity? As technologies change, what skills and principles should endure? Are we generating content without critique and making decisions without debate?
This talk cuts through the hype to spotlight the indispensable role of modern analytics in today's business landscape.
- Imagine business intuition swiftly validated or refuted through data deep dives and rigorous hypothesis testing.
- Imagine algorithms held accountable by meticulously designed metrics – a blend of science and art.
- Imagine your data scientists discerning not just what's coincidentally interesting, but what's commercially important.
This is where analytics - the oft disparaged data science discipline - is making a powerful resurgence. I'll share my last decade of experience, in Big Tech and a FTSE 100 corporate, on how to harness analytics’ potential to deliver sustainable business results, not just fleeting trends.
Speakers
Dr Enda Ridge
