Join us for the launch of the AI Accountability Lab (AIAL)
The official launch of the AI Accountability Lab (AIAL) at Trinity College Dublin, led by Dr. Abeba Birhane, will take place Thursday 28th November from 5-7pm in the O’Reilly Institute, Trinity College Dublin.
The AIAL is dedicated to advancing ground-breaking research to ensure AI technologies are transparent, just, and accountable, with a focus on protecting historically marginalised communities. As AI becomes an integral part of society, the Lab’s mission is to conduct rigorous audits, challenge power asymmetries, and shape AI governance for a more equitable future.
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Full agenda
5.00pm Event starts 5.10pm Dr Abeba Birhane welcoming remarks 5.20pm Prof Gregory O’Hare, Head of School of Computer Science and Statistics, Trinity College Dublin 5.25pm Remarks by Joseph Hackett, Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs 5.35pm Fireside chat: What Accountability Means in the Current AI Climate, with Dr Roel Dobbe, Delft University, Dr Zeerak Talat, Centre for Technomoral Futures at Edinburgh University, and Dr Ellen Rushe, TCD. 6.05pm Comments from the funders 6.20pm Fireside chat: The Impact of Accountability Research on Policy with Dr David Leslie, Alan Turing Institute, Dr Delaram Golpayegani, ADAPT research centre, Olga Cronin, Irish Council for Civil Liberties, and Dr Patricia Scanlon, Ireland’s AI Ambassador. 6.45pm Networking and reception. 7.30pm Close
Speakers
Dr. Abeba Birhane AI Accountability Lab at the School of Computer Science and Statistics and ADAPT, Trinity College Dublin Dr Abeba Birhane founded and leads the TCD AI Accountability Lab (AIAL). Dr Birhane received her PhD in 2022 and is currently a Research Fellow at the School of Computer Science and Statistics in Trinity College Dublin. Her research focuses on AI accountability, with a particular focus on audits of AI models and training datasets – work for which she was featured in Wired UK and TIME on the TIME100 Most Influential People in AI list in 2023. Dr. Birhane also serves on the United Nations Secretary-General’s AI Advisory Body and the newly-convened AI Advisory Council in Ireland.
Dr. Ellen Rushe Assistant Professor, Dublin City University Dr. Ellen Rushe’s research focuses on deep learning with limited labels, particularly for audio-visual data. Her work spans areas such as novelty detection in audio, sign language recognition, and domain adaptation for rugby tackle analysis, addressing challenges associated with reducing dependency on large datasets. Before joining DCU, Dr. Rushe was a Research Fellow at Trinity College Dublin, developing methods for rugby gameplay analysis, and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University College Dublin as part of the H2020 SignON Project, working on sign language recognition with a 17-partner international consortium.
Dr. Patricia Scanlon Chairperson, AI Advisory Council & AI Ambassador for Ireland Dr. Patricia Scanlon holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence and Speech Recognition, alongside a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering. With over 25 years of experience in AI across academia and industry, she has worked at Columbia University, Bell Labs, and IBM. Dr. Scanlon founded SoapBox Labs, a leader in ethical Voice AI for children, which was acquired by Curriculum Associates in 2023. Recognized by Forbes as one of the World’s Top 50 Women in Tech in 2018, she was appointed Ireland’s first AI Ambassador in 2022 to lead a national dialogue on AI. In 2023, she became Chairperson of Ireland’s AI Advisory Council, guiding government foresight on emerging AI trends, risks, and opportunities.
Dr. David Leslie Director of Ethics and Responsible Innovation Research, The Alan Turing Institute David Leslie is Director of Ethics and Responsible Innovation Research at The Alan Turing Institute and Professor of Ethics, Technology, and Society at Queen Mary University of London. A former lecturer at Princeton, Yale, and Harvard, he has received numerous teaching awards, including the Stanley Hoffman Prize for Teaching Excellence. David authored key UK government guidance on responsible AI design, including Understanding artificial intelligence ethics and safety(2019) and Explaining decisions made with AI (2020). His roles include Specialist Advisor to the Council of Europe’s AI Committee and member of UNESCO’s High-Level Expert Group on AI Ethics. His recent publications cover topics like bias in AI, ethical AI innovation during COVID-19, and generative AI’s impact on scientific discovery.
Dr. Delaram Golpayegani Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow & Researcher, ADAPT Centre, Trinity College Dublin Delaram Golpayegani is a research assistant at the ADAPT Centre, Trinity College Dublin, and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow. She holds an MSc in Information Technology and is completing her PhD at the School of Computer Science and Statistics, Trinity College Dublin. Her work focuses on using Semantic Web technologies to document and share risks associated with AI systems, aligning with the EU AI Act and trustworthy AI guidelines. Delaram is a member of the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) and actively participates in European and international AI standardisation activities.
Olga Cronin Senior Policy Officer, Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) Olga Cronin leads ICCL’s campaigns against the misuse of technologies like facial recognition and the EU’s proposed ‘ChatControl,’ which could mandate mass surveillance of digital communications. Her work includes preventing the use of facial recognition technology by An Garda Síochána without legislative scrutiny and challenging unlawful data retention practices. Before joining ICCL in 2020, Olga spent nearly 15 years as a journalist. She holds a BA in Journalism from Western Kentucky University, an MSc in Political Science from Trinity College Dublin, and a Diploma in Law from the Law Society of Ireland.
Dr. Roel Dobbe Assistant Professor in Technology, Policy & Management, Delft University of Technology Dr. Roel Dobbe is an Assistant Professor at Delft University of Technology, where he focuses on Sociotechnical AI Systems. He holds a MSc in Systems & Control from Delft (2010) and a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from UC Berkeley (2018), where he received the Demetri Angelakos Memorial Achievement Award. Dr. Dobbe was an inaugural postdoctoral researcher at the AI Now Institute at New York University. His research explores the integration and societal implications of algorithmic technologies, particularly in the contexts of safety, sustainability, and justice, across domains such as energy systems, public administration, and healthcare. Adopting a system-theoretic perspective, he addresses the sociotechnical and political dimensions of AI systems through analysis, engineering design, and governance. His work empowers domain experts and affected communities, and his findings have influenced policy initiatives, including environmental assessments for the European AI Act and the development of the algorithm watchdog in The Netherlands.
Dr. Zeerak Talat Chancellor’s Fellow in Responsible Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, University of Edinburgh Dr. Zeerak Talat is a Chancellor’s Fellow at the Centre for Technomoral Futures and the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. Their research explores the intersection of machine learning, science and technology studies, and media studies. Dr. Talat focuses on how machine learning systems interact with society, examining the downstream effects of these technologies and the ways current practices in machine learning and AI can result in discriminatory outcomes. Their work aims to address these challenges to promote more equitable and responsible AI systems.
