Latest news with #NiamhSmyth
Irish Post
28-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Post
Minister joins global tech leaders in Singapore to promote Ireland's commitment to sector
IRELAND'S Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation has travelled to Singapore to promote Ireland's commitment to the technology sector and strengthen links with industry leaders. Niamh Smyth is undertaking a high-profile visit to the city-state this week at the invitation of the Singaporean Government to participate in Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG) 2025. One of the region's most significant technology and innovation summits, it brings together global tech leaders to shape the future of digital transformation. Ms Smyth says the trip will provide a platform for Ireland to showcase its strengths in areas such as artificial intelligence, digital trust, innovation and skills development. "Ireland and Singapore share a forward-looking vision when it comes to technology, digital governance and innovation," she said. "My visit is a valuable opportunity to deepen ties with key partners, promote Ireland's capabilities in emerging tech sectors and learn from Singapore's pioneering work in digital transformation." Irish success in Southeast Asia The Minister's participation once again underscores Ireland's commitment to being at the forefront of global digital dialogue. Her itinerary will feature a series of bilateral meetings and strategic engagements, supported by the Embassy of Ireland in Singapore and the wider Ireland House team, including Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Bord Bia. Highlights include engagements with Irish companies operating in Southeast Asia, showcasing the success of Irish enterprise abroad with support from Enterprise Ireland. A number of high-level meetings with representatives of AI Singapore and AI Innovation, exploring collaborative opportunities in responsible AI development, are also on the itinerary. Minister Smyth will participate in the Ministerial Roundtable on Digital Trust, where global leaders will examine AI risks and regulatory strategies. Bilateral talks will also take place with key international counterparts, including representatives from Singapore, Britain and New Zealand. The Minister will conclude her visit by meeting with members of Singapore's Irish community at an event hosted by the St Patrick's Society, which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary in the city-state. "This visit is a strong demonstration of Ireland's commitment to international digital cooperation, innovation diplomacy, and supporting Irish enterprise across Southeast Asia," she added. See More: AI, Singapore, Technology
Irish Post
25-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Post
Leading US fintech company FIS to create 100 jobs in Dublin
A LEADING financial technology company has announced plans to create 100 technology jobs in Dublin over the next two years. American multinational Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS) said it sees Ireland as 'the ideal home for hiring quality technology talent'. The investment is being supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland, the state's inward investment promotion agency. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, FIS provides solutions to financial institutions, businesses and developers. It serves more than 5,800 clients in 150 countries, with $50tn processed on FIS asset management technology in 2023. The company intends to build a team in the Irish capital that will centrally align, develop and manage selected new products and platforms. Roles to be hired are expected to include data scientists, product analysts, portfolio managers and software engineers, in addition to a number of management support roles. 'Location of choice' "FIS is committed to investing in the future of fintech and believes Ireland is the ideal home for hiring quality technology talent," said Bob Toohey, Chief People Officer at FIS. "With the Irish Government's partnership, we can build a world-class innovation engine that unlocks financial technology to the world across the money lifecycle — whether it's at rest, in motion, or at work. "Additionally, Ireland's position within the European Union presents a unique strategic advantage for FIS. "By building a team in Dublin, FIS will benefit from direct exposure to EU regulations and data governance models, allowing us to design globally scalable technology solutions from the ground up, all this coupled with a highly-skilled AI and data talent market." Niamh Smyth, the Minister for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation, said the news once again highlighted Ireland's attractiveness as a hub for fintech companies. "Today's announcement by FIS is testament to our thriving financial services and fintech sector here," she said. "These plans speak to Ireland as a location of choice for investment in cutting-edge research and innovation as well as to the strength and expertise of the Irish financial services sector. "I congratulate FIS on this announcement." Meanwhile, Michael Lohan, CEO at IDA Ireland, said: "AI and Digitalisation have been identified by IDA Ireland as strategic drivers of economic growth and today's announcement reflects the real opportunity for companies in this area. "We very much welcome the decision by FIS to choose Ireland for this investment and we look forward to partnering with them into the future."
Scotsman
12-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Ireland's leading customer service and sales outsourcing partner, Uniquely announces £7million Scottish investment
A leading business process outsourcer in the field of sales and customer services is delighted to officially announce a £7 million investment in Glasgow as part of a wider £20 million investment across the UK, including the West Midlands, the Northwest and Scotland, creating 300 UK jobs. Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The investment in Scotland was officially unveiled at a recent Enterprise Ireland Business Leaders Dinner in Glasgow, and attended by Irish Minister Niamh Smyth TD, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation, marking a significant milestone in Irish-Scottish trade relations. As part of this investment, Irish-owned Uniquely announced a new Glasgow office and the creation of 100 new jobswithin 12 months, contributing to economic growth and innovation. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Renowned for delivering outstanding sales and service solutions across diverse industries, Uniquely is opening offices in Solihull near Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow and will employ 300 staff by the end of 2025 across the three regions. Photographed at the Enterprise Ireland Business Leaders Dinner in Glasgow are (L to R) Emma Farrell, Senior Market Advisor UK CreaTech Sector, Enterprise Ireland; Pat Stack, Head of Business Development & Marketing at Uniquely; Minister Niamh Smyth TD, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation; and Joe Healy, Head of Global Markets, Enterprise Ireland. Commenting on the Scottish investment, Founder and CEO of Uniquely, Gerard Teahon, said: 'People are at the heart of everything we do at Uniquely, and we are delighted to be growing our presence and supporting local economies through new employment opportunities. This significant investment in Glasgow is both the realisation of an important milestone in our journey towards innovation, transformation and growth and a testament to the exceptional talent and innovative offering we provide our increasingly international customer base.' Despite the challenges in trade posed by Brexit, the UK remains Ireland's biggest trading partner in Europe. Commenting on the UK investment, Ireland's Prime Minister, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, said: 'I congratulate Uniquely on their plans to create new jobs and invest in its ongoing expansion in the UK, providing solutions for banking, energy and telecoms. Uniquely is one of several Irish businesses continuing to play a significant role in the UK economy, while delivering export growth for Ireland.' Deirdre McPartlin, Regional Director UK, Nordics and New Exporters, Enterprise Ireland,said: 'Enterprise Ireland supports Irish companies to grow and succeed in global markets. Expanding our client companies' investment in the UK is a key priority for Enterprise Ireland, with the UK being our largest export market. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "Supporting this commitment, we have announced the opening of our third office in the UK, in Glasgow, which builds on our existing strong presence in London and Manchester. Uniquely's £7 million investment and plans to create 100 jobs in Scotland highlight the growth in trade and collaboration between Scotland and Ireland, and are a clear signal of the confidence Irish companies have in Scotland's business landscape as a location for international growth. "The new job opportunities will drive economic growth, strengthen Glasgow's relationship with Ireland, and also benefit the Irish economy.' Head of Business Development & Marketing at Uniquely, Pat Stack, said: 'Establishing our presence in Glasgow was made possible through the assistance of Enterprise Ireland. The team's support has been instrumental in our successful expansion into the city.' Earlier this month, Uniquely won two awards at the Guaranteed Irish Business Awards 2025. Uniquely was honoured in the Professional Services category and claimed the prestigious Guaranteed Irish Business of the Year award for its commitment to excellence and innovation, local jobs and communities. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Also in April, and alongside some of Europe's most recognisable corporate brands and leading global agencies, the company's rebrand last year (from SalesSense International to Uniquely) was awarded two silver accolades for Best Naming Strategy and Best Visual Identity in the Professional Services sector at the Transform Europe Awards hosted in London. Its accolades don't end there; in November 2024, Uniquely became Ireland's first outsourcer to win the Customer Services Centre of the Year award at the CCMA Irish Customer Contact & Shared Services Awards. Uniquely was also awarded 'Best Managed Companies' Platinum Standard by Deloitte Ireland* for superior business performance for the past nine years, and it was officially recognised as one of the Best Workplaces in Ireland™ in 2025, based on direct feedback from employees. Established in 2006, Uniquely boasts a wealth of experience in diverse markets, collaborating with various organisations to enhance customer engagement and satisfaction. Its expertise spans service solutions in sectors such as Financial Services, Energy, Medical Technology, Telecoms, Media and Retail.
Business Post
09-05-2025
- Business
- Business Post
How Irish water companies are capitalising on crisis-ridden privatised English sector
companies How Irish water companies are capitalising on crisis-ridden privatised English sector Dominic McGrath 15:46 Niamh Smyth, junior minister at the Department of Enterprise, at the Winchburgh Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was delivered by Cork firm EPS. Picture: Enterprise Ireland Business Post subscribers can read: • Which Irish companies are playing a key role in the UK water industry • Why the challenges facing water companies offer an opportunity to some Irish firms • Some of the projects Irish companies have been working on News UK Water LATEST NEWS 15:59 Live News: US Postal Service reports $3.3bn loss; Vespa maker Piaggio's revenue falls to €370.7m 15:46 How Irish water companies are capitalising on crisis-ridden privatised English sector 15:45 Construction media founder warns of challenges facing UK builders 15:27 Tipperary businessman Declan Kelly joins David Beckham and Gary Neville to buy Salford City FC 14:15 Dominic McGrath: Why UK's fudged trade deal with Trump is a bad omen for Ireland and the EU 14:00 Checking In: The Clooney-approved Ballyfin Demesne offers a divine retreat like no other
The Journal
08-05-2025
- Business
- The Journal
AI can be used to create drafts of government reports, say new guidelines
IT IS ACCEPTABLE for draft versions of reports produced by the public service to be created by artificial intelligence, say new guidelines released today. The Department of Public Expenditure and Public Service Reform has published new guidelines setting out what it considers to be 'responsible use of AI in the public service'. The public service includes civil servants working in government departments and State agencies as well as wider public sector workers in areas like education, healthcare and the justice system. The guidelines outline the type of tasks that AI can be used to support work in the public service. These include using AI to provide chatbots on government websites, language translation, algorithms for decision-making, policy analysis, and content generation, such as text, images, audio or video. Advertisement The guidelines list examples of the type of content that AI can be used to generate in the public service, including analysing lengthy documents and generating summaries or draft versions of reports containing the most important data points and insights. Other acceptable examples it provides are the automatic generation of language translations of government publications and the creation videos or infographics for public awareness campaigns. AI can also be used in the public service for identifying and categorising data, detecting and monitoring patterns, and forecasting future trends, the guidelines detail. Pros and cons The guidelines say that AI has 'the potential to transform Irish Public Services, making them more efficient, fair, and responsive'. Currently, St. Vincent's University Hospital is exploring the potential for AI to assist with performing heart ultrasound scans, which could help to reduce waiting times for patients. The Department of Agriculture is developing an AI-supported solution to detect errors in grant applications that could reduce processing times for applications. 'AI offers immense possibilities to improve the provision of public services,' said Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Jack Chambers. Related Reads Meta says it will use public content from European users to train its AI model Investigation into AI tool 'Grok' on social media site X launched by Irish privacy watchdog Minister of State for AI Niamh Smyth added that AI can be used for 'unlocking productivity, addressing social challenges and delivering enhanced services'. However, the guidelines also identify several potential risks associated with using AI in public services. One of the risks is AI systems could reinforce biases in data, leading to unintended discrimination. There's also a risk that complex algorithms can make AI-driven decisions difficult to understand, which in turn could affect public trust. And automated AI systems can lack flexibility, risking a loss of the 'human touch' in public services. 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
