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The Journal
2 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
An Bord Pleanála raised concerns over use of ChatGPT for inspector's report into Limerick plant
AN BORD PLEANÁLA removed one of its inspectors from deliberations on a controversial expansion of a large steel plant in Limerick following concerns that a report was being written with the help of ChatGPT. A spokesperson for the State body told The Journal that the report was scrapped 'out of an abundance of caution' as its board members felt the use of artificial intelligence (AI) had the potential to 'raise concerns about the integrity of the decision-making process' for the report into Aughinish Alumina, near Foynes on the Shannon Estuary. An Bord Pleanála also 'advised all staff that the use of unapproved technology was strictly prohibited' in the wake of the incident. The file was then re-assigned to a new inspector for fresh consideration, with the second inspector's report sent to a 'newly constituted' board to decide on. This board granted planning permission to expand Aughinish Alumina's waste storage at the site in March. It was the second time the development had come before An Bord Pleanála, with the High Court previously quashing its decision to expand the site following objections by environmental groups. However, the use of AI now forms part of a challenge by Limerick-based environmental group Environmental Trust Ireland in its bid to halt the expansion of the site. The Aughinish Alumina plant near Foynes Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo A spokesperson for An Bord Pleanála told The Journal that it learned that the 'unapproved technology' was used for 'editing and formatting certain aspects' of a report after the employee reported their use of ChatGPT. In a lengthy statement, An Bord Pleanála said the incident 'raised the need to improve the policy' relating to the acceptable use of technology such as artificial intelligence. Access to AI software was also disabled on An Bord Pleanála systems in response to the discovery, the body's spokesperson said. 'The incident reaffirmed the need for bespoke GenAI technology specifically designed for the requirements of An Bord Pleanála,' the spokesperson added, pending the development of a digital strategy with guidelines for use of the advanced AI programmes. The spokesperson said that this work was already underway since the appointment of a new director of digital strategy last year. Major employer with Russian links A major employer in the mid-west, Aughinish Alumina employs 450 people on its 222-hectare site. The plant is owned by Russian metals company Rusal, which was co-founded by Oleg Deripaska. Deripaska, who is still a shareholder in Rusal, is an industrialist who is reported to have had close ties to Russia president Vladimir Putin. Advertisement In 2018, Deripaska was placed on a US sanctions list and the UK government also announced sanctions against the oligarch in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The businessman is well-connected in Russian politics and business, and was pictured earlier this month at the Kremlin in Moscow for a ceremony ahead of World War II commemorations. Rusal co-founder Oleg Deripaska addressing a meeting of the Bank of Russia's financial congress last year. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Aughinish Alumina has been looking to expand its disposal area for bauxite residue – an ore from aluminium, also known as 'red mud' due to its copper colouring. The site's expansion plans have been the subject of legal challenges over recent years, with the High Court quashing previous planning permission granted by An Bord Pleanála. The amended planning application that received approval in March included findings from An Bord Pleanála stating that the development 'would not have significant negative effects on the environment' if given the go-ahead. This permission has now been challenged by two environmental groups – Environmental Trust Ireland and Futureproof Clare – in separate judicial reviews lodged this week. Environmental Trust Ireland, which is represented by Limerick firm Hayes Solicitors, has taken a case which it is understood is partly based on the alleged concerns raised internally within An Bord Pleanála. In the planning authority's board minutes from last October for the Aughinish refinery's expansion – seen by The Journal – it records that it was 'brought to the Board's attention that certain parts of the Inspector's report may have been written following interaction with an external technology system', later referring to ChatGPT. However, it is understood that Environmental Trust Ireland is challenging whether the inspector remained involved in the process after the AI use was flagged, referring to later minutes for An Bord Pleanála's March meeting to discuss the refinery's expansion. While the inspector was listed in later minutes, An Bord Pleanála has stressed to The Journal that the individual was not involved in the case after November 2024. It is understood that an admin error may have resulted in the confusion. Environmental claims The judicial review taken by Environmental Trust Ireland is one of two filed this week against the expansion of the refinery's disposal area the red mud waste. A group called Futureproof Clare has taken the other, separate case. It is represented by FP Logue solicitors and The Journal understands its arguments are based around the environmental impact of the expansion. The plant has capacity at its bauxite residue disposal area (BRDA) until 2030 and the new extension will extend the lifetime of the BRDA up to 2039. The proposed development would increase the height of sections of the disposal area by 12 metres. It would bring the total height to 44 metres. The company has maintained that it can't continue production unless its waste facility is expanded. Aughinish Alumina did not respond when contacted for comment. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Profits dip by 33% to €666,692 at Denis Brosnan's Limerick bloodstock business
Pre-tax profits at the Limerick-based bloodstock business co-owned by well-known businessman Denis Brosnan last year decreased by 33% to €666,692. New accounts filed by Mr Brosnan's Epona Bloodstock Ltd, which trades as Croom House Stud, show that its pre-tax profit fell after revenues declined by 45% from €5.09m to €2.78m in the 12 months to the end of June 2024. The pre-tax profits of €666,692 followed pre-tax profits of €994,620 in the prior year. Epona Bloodstock is the firm that operates the 270-acre Croom House Stud farm in west Limerick. Croom House is the property of former Kerry Group CEO Denis Brosnan who, along with Joan Brosnan, purchased the house and lands in 1986, restored the stables and yards and brought their thoroughbred horses onto the property. The bulk of the firm's revenues were generated from bloodstock sales at €2.07m compared to €4.56m in 2023. The rest of the firm's revenues last year were made up of €162,621 in 'livestock'; €503,081 in administration services and €49,621 in the keeping of mares. The figures show that €1.78m of revenues were generated in the UK; €947,721 in Ireland; and €58,030 in Europe and the rest of the world. Profits last year take account of non-cash depreciation costs of €165,107. Numbers employed by the firm fell by one to 11 last year and staff costs decreased from €724,084 to €721,800. At the end of June last year, the company had shareholder funds of €5.01m including €5m in accumulated profits. The company's cash funds declined sharply from €22,691 to €7,856. The business also benefited from a €1m reversal of an impairment loss or provision against amounts due by a related party. The accounts disclose that the book value of the firm's stock and bloodstock increased from €6.6m to €7.43m last year. The firm has financial assets of €140,001 and tangible assets of €274,150. The accounts were signed off on May 7 by Paul Brosnan and Joan Brosnan. According to the Croom House Stud website, 30 broodmares are kept, owned by Denis and Joan Brosnan or by Epona Bloodstock at the stud. The website states that the rich limestone land 'makes it possible to keep mares, yearlings and other followers outside in sheltered paddocks for most of the year with minimal time spent in stables'. It adds: 'This has enabled Croom House to produce strong, tough horses with great bone who have made their mark on racetracks throughout the world over the past twenty years.' Directors on the board of Epona Bloodstock are listed as Joan and Denis Brosnan, Paul Brosnan, Cathal Brosnan, and Mary Brosnan.
Irish Examiner
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Children's books review: Thrilling reads from a trio of brilliant Irish authors
After by Pádraig Kenny (Walker Books, €7.99) What, in this age of artificial intelligence, when humanoid robots can interact with us and perform so many complex, decision-making tasks, defines us as human beings? Apart from biological creation, rather than metal or plastic construction, the attributes that differentiate Homo sapiens from the machines of their own design are becoming harder to distinguish. For answers, we might even Google an AI-generated definition of what makes us human, yielding a list of key traits that includes self-awareness, abstract thought, moral sensibilities, and a capacity for empathy. We could also consider the import of After, the post-apocalyptic novel from Limerick-based author Pádraig Kenny, which puts humanity in the spotlight in the context of the collapse of civilisation. In a 'melding of the mechanical with the biological', humans have been implanted with microchips from birth, giving them access to an information and living system called the Hive. However, after the Hive turns on the human race, a 'cataclysmic short circuit' occurs, obliterating both machines and humans, the few people who remain resorting to scavenging for food in order to survive. In this desolate environment, Father and Jen are a family unit, journeying in search of a new place to call home. After by Pádraig Kenny (Walker Books) Father's role is as protector, though his child-rearing methods are straight from the pages of a parenting manual and somehow lack the human touch. Father's application of logic and adherence to rules-based systems give him a calm authority to which many parents might aspire, but it becomes clear that he is not Jen's biological relative, nor indeed human at all. Despite his appearance, he is made largely of metal components, an AI humanoid that has learned a moral code and patterns of caring, empathetic behaviour — and has somehow survived the short-circuit catastrophe. He and Jen seek refuge in a self-sufficient settlement of human survivors, but with machines viewed as the enemy, they could both be in danger if Father's true identity is uncovered. Jen seems to have found her tribe in this settlement, however, and in as much as an AI machine can face a moral dilemma, Father is presented with one when he must choose whether to now relinquish the caring duties he has performed since finding the orphaned Jen as a baby. If an autonomous robot can learn to develop caring sensibilities, it is more than may be said of the man who invented the Hive, his hunger for power leading him to push the boundaries of technological advancement at all costs, overriding any sense of morality or human empathy. A futuristic fantasy that also holds a mirror up to today's world, where the milk of human kindness appears to be running dry, and where it is perhaps not AI technology itself we should fear, but those who would subvert its benefits for nefarious ends. Tales of Darkisle: Conn of the Dead by Dave Rudden, illustrated by Ali Al Amine Conn of the Dead by Dave Rudden (Gill Books, €10.99) Trouble magnet Conn has boundless energy and copious amounts of gruesome stories that he feels compelled to tell, regardless of their unsuitability for the occasion. Tales from Irish mythology are a particular speciality, the more gross details about mucus and bile the better, particularly when he gets into character as the zombie Abhartach, appropriator of body parts and a 'heaving mass of arms and legs and tails and heads — a clot of flesh the size of a house'. The only person who really understands Conn is his aunt Doireann, soon-to-be doctor of Medieval Irish, and the very person who first introduced Conn to these tales. It is Doireann he rings, rather than his long-suffering mother, to collect him from the principal's office after a calamitous incident where he has sabotaged the school play by swinging unbidden onto the stage 'like a flailing human conker' to enact the slaying of the Abhartach. Doireann, unprepared for the sudden arrival of her nephew, scoops him up on her yellow motorbike and whisks him back to her office at the National Folklore Collection at UCD. Sure what could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot, inevitably, when Conn spots a box labelled hazardous. And what's an 11-year-old boy-tornado to do but take a little peek inside? To cut to the chase that ensues when the ancient skull within is revealed; it involves all the horrors that might be expected when an un-dead Abhartach discovers how to use modern technology to its advantage. The first in a series of 'Tales of Darkisle' from Cavan's Dave Rudden, author of Knights of the Borrowed Dark, this serves as a portent of further fiendish spirits to be resurrected from Irish mythology and re-imagined in new contexts. Goo, gore, and ghoulishness galore — bring it on. Solo by Gráinne O'Brien Solo by Gráinne O'Brien (Little Island, €10.99) 'Music is not something that I do. Music is something that I am. It forms the very fabric of who I am as a person. At least…it used to.' Everything in Daisy's world was certain. Practise. Perform. Practise. Pass music exams. Repeat. Not a gifted genius but 'the kind of musician that is built through determination and practise', her life in the year before her Leaving Cert followed a pattern of predictability where she knew the script and was happy to follow it. Winning prizes for playing the recorder, not renowned as the most glamorous of instruments, might get her picture in the local paper but it has little 'social currency' in the school popularity stakes. Which is why Daisy was not the only one surprised when sports-mad David chose her as his girlfriend. Music may have been Daisy's first love but David was her second, and for the month they were together she became so obsessed with him that everything, including music, was cast aside as she helped him follow his dreams at the expense of her own. Now, just after their first sexual experience, David has unceremoniously dumped her. Daisy is so devastated that she can't even celebrate her 18th birthday, and the music that was once the core of her existence now offers no solace. Her parents, who resisted any urge to protest when the boyfriend usurped the place of the music into which so much had been invested, now have their focus turned on Daisy's father's recent cancer diagnosis. Having lost her boyfriend and her love of music, Daisy is also betrayed by her best friend, and as she struggles to regain a sense of direction, the enormity of the changes in her life threatens to overwhelm her. Never part of the cool gang, soloist Daisy feels more alone than ever until a kindred spirit helps her find a new path. Limerick-born bookseller Gráinne O'Brien's verse-form novel digs deep into the uncertainty and self-doubt felt by many on the cusp of adulthood.
Irish Post
20-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Post
Irish firm's unique new platform offers collaborative canvas for humans and AI agents to work together
AN Irish firm has launched a unique new platform which allows AI and data developers to work seamlessly together. Limerick-based Zerve has created the industry's first multi-agent system engineered specifically for enterprise-grade data and AI development. 'Unlike lightweight code assistants or hobbyist tools, Zerve's Agent is a full participant in the development lifecycle—planning, provisioning infrastructure, building, and deploying data and AI products at scale,' the firm explains. Designed for enterprise environments, the Zerve Operating System connects directly with their clients' internal infrastructure to provide a visual canvas for human and agent collaboration. Zerve CEO and founder Phily Hayes With multi-agent orchestration, full compute control, and native access to code, data, and workflows, Zerve 'redefines what AI agents can do - transforming them from co-pilots into true teammates', the firm adds. 'If you've tried out 'vibe-coding' agents and wished you could apply them to real enterprise AI and data workflows—now you can,' Zerve CEO and co-founder Phily Hayes says. 'Zerve is hosted in your own environment, with your own SDLC policies, connected to your LLMs, data repositories, single sign-on, and the whole shebang, giving your team and AI agents a secure, productive environment in which to explore, build, test and deliver data and AI products in record time,' he added. The platform, which was launched at the ODSC Conference in Boston this month, allows tech teams to activate multiple AI agents on any problem using natural language prompts. 'The agents will present a plan, and then get to work, generating new Zerve canvases, creating and connecting code blocks, writing code, orchestrating infrastructure, and automating various parts of the data workflow,' a Zerve spokesperson explained. Initially released in 2024, Zerve is already being used by organisations such as NASA, Canal+ and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. See More: AI, Ireland, Limerick, Zerve
Irish Independent
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Former Rose's Camino trek to raise major funds for vital Limerick charity
Today at 01:00 Just days after handing over her sash, former Kerry Rose Emer Dineen shows no signs of slowing down as she prepares to hike the final stretch of the Camino de Santiago in aid of the Limerick-based charity, Cliona's Foundation. From June 9 to 15, she, along with other Roses and escorts will trek 120km along the Portuguese coast to Valença.
