E239 From AI Experimentation to Enterprise Transformation with Microsoft Ireland's Kieran McCorry

Today’s guest is Carl Kane, Group Data Culture Lead at Bank of Ireland. AI adoption is moving faster than many businesses can keep up with, with employees often taking the lead before company strategies catch up. In this episode, Carl speaks about what it takes to turn individual experimentation into meaningful business results, exploring leadership, data readiness, AI literacy and the role of storytelling in bringing people along.Topics include: 0:00 His journey from euro conversion, evolving into banking data analytics 5:56 Using storytelling to connect people, improve collaboration and drive better outcomes 8:07 How data governance orchestrates collaboration to deliver trusted, high-quality data 10:48 Why becoming data-led requires clean data and improved data fluency 12:39 Why AI adoption requires literacy, governance and responsible use before scaling 16:18 Using AI agents to analyse and compare lengthy industry research papers 17:18 How data enables personalised, flexible customer journeys across digital and human channels 18:29 How mentors helped develop his storytelling, leadership and data interpretation skills

Today's guest is George Filippou, Founder at Mar-Sci. In the episode, George explores how AI and open-source tools can help advertisers manage budgets more effectively. Drawing on his breath of experience in the industry, George discusses the challenges of building trust in AI recommendations, the continued importance of human judgement and his journey from marketer to startup founder.Topics include: 0:00 His career journey from Marketing Practitioner to founding Mar-Sci 5:24 Building an AI Moat in a Rapidly Changing Market 8:12 How AI Agents Could Become the Biggest Customers 9:28 As AI Is Transforming Marketing, Trust Still Matters 14:53 Building Flexible AI Products Without Losing Your Core 17:47 The Possibility of AI Driving Digital Advertising Costs Even Higher

Today's guest is David Keddy, National Security Officer at Microsoft Ireland. With AI changing both sides of the cybersecurity battle, David joins the AI Ireland podcast to talk about why cybersecurity has become a data problem and what that means for Irish businesses. From protecting critical operations to preparing for AI-powered security agents, David shares practical insights into strengthening defences and making informed decisions about risk, resilience and AI.Topics include: 0:00 His technology and cybersecurity career journey 5:52 Prioritising cyber defenses around what would stop your business 9:32 How AI speeds up cyberattacks and helps defenders hunt threats 15:00 The role of Agentic security operations and continuous monitoring with human oversight 18:28 The need for boards must own cybersecurity in the age of AI 24:55 His advice to identify critical systems, assume breaches and enable MFA

Today’s guest is Cyril Treacy, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer at Disseqt AI. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in business, questions around trust, transparency and compliance are becoming more important than ever. In the today’s podcast, Cyril discusses the importance of the EU AI Act, AI governance and assurance, and how businesses can build AI systems that are both innovative and trustworthy.Topics include: 0:00 The latest EU AI Act updates, compliance, transparency and preparation 5:22 Why AI risks require transparency, assurance and bias prevention 11:07 How AI assurance provides proof that AI policies work in practice 13:15 Why executives must demand AI testing, compliance and reliability proof 18:03 How his AI startup evolved into AI assurance and testing solutions 21:38 Why AI governance requires continuous training, not one-time compliance 22:28 How AI assurance enables regulated industries to automate safely 25:59 Why balancing AI trust, safety and human skills are essential

Today’s guest is Raluca Saceanu, CEO at Smarttech247. As cybersecurity threats grow in speed, scale and sophistication, organisations must find new ways to protect themselves without slowing innovation. In this podcast, Raluca explores the evolving relationship between AI and cybersecurity, the enduring importance of strong security fundamentals and how businesses can adopt a more proactive, security-by-design approach.Topics include: 0:00 How cyberattacks are now faster, cheaper and increasingly AI-driven 4:31 How defenders have the advantage if they think like attackers 7:21 Ransomware affects small businesses too, especially supply-chain suppliers 9:52 Why security by design is essential for every AI startup 13:46 Cybersecurity fundamentals and human oversight remain essential in AI 15:40 How AI-powered security operations deliver faster, smarter incident response 19:05 Enterprise Ireland’s long-term support for Smarttech's growth 19:39 Why staying ahead requires curiosity, speed and a growth mindset