Introduction

Join us as we launch our Build With AI series with our exciting kickoff session "An Intro To AI".

This event will feature several insightful speakers who will unveil the essentials of artificial intelligence. Expect engaging discussions that dispel myths about AI bias and exploratory talks about the practical applications of AI to solve real-world problems. Attendees will gain a foundational understanding of AI's current impact on various industries, its challenges and advantages, and a look into its future role in transforming our lives.

Explore the Session

This much we know: The past, present, and future of GenAI in tech

In four years GenAI has gone from a curiosity to the presumptive nemesis of Software Engineering. Applications of GenAI dominate the agendas of every tech conference, and the public perception is of a vocation living on borrowed time. But rhetoric and reality are two very different things. This talk will briefly reprise where we are and how we arrived here before analysing the most likely paths forward and their implications for our profession.

Garth Gilmour

Technical Learning Consultant

AI from First Principles : Building from Real User Problems

Most teams are adding AI to products, but very few are starting from the actual user problem.

This talk explores a first principles approach to building with AI - focusing on understanding what users are trying to do, where the real friction exists, and where AI genuinely adds value (or doesn't). This would be a look at how developers and product teams can design AI into systems in a way that's aligned with real outcomes.

Nelson Okpalachukwu

Senior Product Owner and Data Platform Expert

Bias In, Bias Out: What AI Learns From Us

AI is no longer just an intelligent technical tool; it is becoming a business decision-maker. From recruitment and marketing to credit scoring and customer service, AI systems increasingly influence real-world outcomes.

This talk explores how bias can quietly enter AI systems through data, assumptions, and design choices, how this can impact organisational performance, trust, and reputation. Using clear, non-technical examples, this session explains why bias matters for businesses and managers, highlights common risks, and outlines practical principles for using AI responsibly.

Charles Vincent

Full Professor and Principal Researcher

The New Intrapreneur: What AI Means for Engineers Entering Industry Today

For engineers leaving university today, AI isn't a future skill; it’s often a fundamental and sought-out skill in today’s job listings for software engineers. The question isn't whether you can use it, but whether you know how to use it to develop products and strengthen the business you’re applying to. This talk is for software engineers at the start of their careers who want to understand what the age of accessible AI actually means for them in practice. Drawing on experience in R&D at Combilift and postgraduate research in AI for medicine at UCD, this 20-minute session explores how the intrapreneur role has been fundamentally redefined and why engineers who combine domain knowledge with AI fluency are now among the most valuable people in any R&D team. Expect an honest look at where AI is delivering real results in industry, where it isn't, and the practical mindset shifts that separate engineers who use AI from engineers who shape what their organisations do with it.

Caolán Maguire

Software Engineer and MSc AI for Medicine and Medical Research

Keep an eye out for other events in this Build With AI series!