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Creative Galway
09 February 2023
18  MINS

What Makes Us Empathetic?

Bernadine Brady, Conn Holohan

While there is evidence to suggest that empathy is on the decline in society, using varied methodologies, researchers at University of Galway are exploring new ways to counter these trends. Dr Bernadine Brady was Principal Investigator in a recent study at the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre (UCFRC) assessing the attitudes of 700 12–16-year-olds in Ireland on empathy, social values and civic behaviour. In Immersive Empathy, Principal Investigator Dr Conn Holohan and his colleagues are investigating empathy through a different lens, empowering clients of Galway Simon to tell their life stories and reflections on homelessness through oral history and virtual reality.
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Creative Galway
27 January 2023
29  MINS

How Do We Value Creativity After AI?

Professor John McHale

However troubling to today’s creatives, the rapid development of AI has generated a high demand for a new kind of skillset, one that is arguably creative in its own right. What do these changes in the skills economy mean for educators and institutions?

Economist Prof John McHale reports on recent research unpacking the value of creative skills after AI, and the role of star recruitment in catalysing these creative skills in institutions. Finally, McHale looks at the question mark lingering over the value of the creative economy, through the lens of cost-benefit analysis.
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Creative Galway
13 January 2023
11  MINS

Innovation: “It Takes a Village”

W. Bernard Carlson

Contrary to the familiar image of the solitary inventor, Prof W. Bernard Carlson makes it clear that innovators never work alone. Drawing on pivotal examples in engineering and design, from the Buick automobile to the glass-ceramic wedding gift, Carlson presents innovation as a collective undertaking—a shaping of the path through which a product finds meaning.
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Sustainability
01 July 2022
19  MINS

Transforming Waste into Energy

Prof Piet N. L. Lens

Imagine an economy in which domestic and industry waste can be used to create energy. In NUI Galway’s Ryan Institute, Prof Piet Lens and his team of microbiologists are investigating just that; using microbes to discover new ways to convert organic and inorganic waste into bioenergy.

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AI & Human Creativity
05 January 2022
19  MINS

To “Black Box” or not to “Black Box”?

Dr Anastasia Griva

Anastasia Griva poses a troubling question: Is inherently non-explainable ‘Black Box’ AI morally acceptable?
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AI & Human Creativity
05 January 2022
31  MINS

Midnight Mass

Mike McCormack

The work of novelist, short story writer and NUI Galway lecturer, Mike McCormack casts a unique light on technology. In 2016, McCormack’s Solar Bones – “a hymn to engineers” – won the Goldsmiths Prize, and the Irish Book Award Novel of the Year and Book of the Year. In ‘Midnight Mass’, the novelist responds to the Cois Coiribe winter theme of ‘AI and Human Creativity’ with a glimpse into the future – pretty or otherwise.
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AI & Human Creativity
21 December 2021
16  MINS

The Unintended Consequences of People Analytics

Eoin Whelan

In recent years, we have seen various industries turn to data-driven ‘people analytics’ to gain a competitive edge in management and recruitment. Eoin Whelan encourages us to take note of the unintended consequences of these emerging technologies – reminding us that the metrics we form, form us in turn.
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AI & Human Creativity
17 December 2021
18  MINS

Adapting to a Changing Job Market

Anastasiya Sytnyk

With COVID-19 disrupting hospitality and retail industries where many young people find employment, students like Anastasiya Sytnyk have had to reconsider their employment options. After a year of working remotely in an IT sales role, Anastasiya shares her insights on adapting to a changing job market.
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AI & Human Creativity
16 December 2021
8  MINS

The Creative Spark – How Will Innovation be Affected by the Absence of a Watercooler?

Prof Esther Tippmann

Esther Tipmann reminds us of the critical role of human skills and competences; while technology platforms to support innovative work in an online or hybrid setting have improved, they are not yet able to replace the casual cognitive synergies and frictions that occur when being present in the same place.
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AI & Human Creativity
16 December 2021
17  MINS

Consumers and AI

Prof Geraint Howells

Geraint Howells shines a light on the complexity of old consumer protection paradigms in the new world of software, AI and data.  Encouragingly, he sees solutions, and points to the healthy approach to the regulation of AI by the EU.  
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16 December 2021
21  MINS

In Conversation with Digital Artist, Dr. EL Putnam

Dr. EL Putnam, lecturer in Digital Media, NUI Galway

Dr. EL Putnam is an internationally recognised digital artist and a lecturer in Digital Media at NUI Galway. EL’s practice discovers new ways of thinking about the relationship between the body and data; her artworks and performances have travelled to the United States, Europe and beyond. Recent experiments have seen the artist create generative animations using biometric data, such as heart rate and oxygen levels. In this interview, EL shares her thoughts on creativity, education and the materiality of technology.
articles
10 December 2021
18  MINS

Artificial Intelligence Demystified – What is it All About?

Prof. Michael Madden

Artificial Intelligence (AI) might appear to be a very new idea, as it has loomed large in public discourse in recent years. The history of AI is, however, almost as long as that of computer science generally – and it’s very far from over, says Prof. Michael Madden.

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