Ireland has a longstanding connection to the ideas that shaped artificial intelligence, with figures such as Jonathan Swift, George Boole, and John McCarthy all contributing to its intellectual foundations. This conference will be of interest to anyone curious about Ireland's heritage, legacy, and ongoing role in advancing the field of AI.

In the summer of 1956, a first generation Irish emigrant, John McCarthy and colleagues gave the field of AI its name through his organisation of the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence. This is regarded as the founding event in AI.

John McCarthy maintained a close relationship with his father’s homeplace, Cromán in Co. Kerry, and was a regular visitor to the area and to University College Cork. McCarthy and Claude Shannon (the father of information theory), were heavily inspired by the work of George Boole, UCC’s first professor of mathematics. Boole wrote his magnum opus while at UCC, “The Laws of Thought”, which remains a seminal work on symbolic reasoning in AI.

The current wave of innovation in AI can be attributed to the work of Geoffrey Hinton, Boole’s great-great grandson. Separately, the original test for artificial intelligence was framed by Alan Turing as his “imitation game”. Turing’s mother was from Co. Tipperary and his parents were married in Dublin.

This event will celebrate Ireland’s heritage and connection with the establishment and evolution of the field of AI, bringing together a programme to showcase Ireland’s reputation as a key player in the evolution and application of the technology.

The conference will also feature the launch of the next phase of the ENTIRE European Digital Innovation Hub, highlighting the services it offers to industry, the public sector, and to society as a whole.

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