Wednesday 6th July - Galway, Ireland: A team of AI researchers at the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics is working with Genesys, a leader in cloud customer experience orchestration, to develop techniques for bias detection in machine learning models.

Through its cloud, digital and AI technologies, Genesys orchestrates billions of remarkable customer experiences every year for organisations in more than 100 countries. As a leader in the Experience as a Service market, Genesys is enabling organisations of any size to deliver empathetic experiences at scale, fostering increased customer trust and loyalty.

The projects forms part of Empower – The Data Governance Research Programme funded by Science Foundation Ireland and industry collaborations in partnership with four SFI Research Centres - Lero, Insight, FutureNeuro and ADAPT. The four-year programme is designed to futureproof EU data flows and drive innovations in data protection internationally.

The joint team of machine learning experts, at the Insight SFI Research Centre in Galway and Genesys, are conducting a survey and cataloguing the establishment of frameworks, methods and tools for bias detection in machine learning models. The researchers will also investigate how to explain any biases that might be present in the models.

Building trustworthy AI through the development of AI systems with explainable processes is a core activity at Insight, Ireland’s national data research centre with over 450 researchers.

Professor Edward Curry, Director of Insight NUI Galway said, “At Insight we are dedicated to improving society by enabling better decision-making. Ensuring decisions are bias-free is critical to building trust in AI that drives digital transformations. Genesys is a global leader in AI-powered customer and employee experiences, and we are delighted to partner within them on this important work.”

Project lead, Andy Donald said, “This represents an exciting opportunity for Insight to contribute to a more transparent and trustworthy AI ecosystem. As we move to a more data-centric global society, it is imperative that we lead the charge on this important work, and we’re excited to collaborate with Genesys on this journey.”

Maciej Dabrowski, Genesys Chief Data Scientist said, “Genesys and NUI Galway have a long history of working together to advance educational opportunities for the technology field in Ireland. Our newest collaboration has great potential to positively impact the future of AI development. Together, we aim to uncover important insights to ensure the ethical use of AI through improved bias detection techniques, benefiting people and businesses everywhere.”

The Empower Programme represents research of almost €10 million, part-funded by Science Foundation Ireland under the SPOKES Programme and in collaboration with Industry. Professor Markus Helfert, Director of Empower said, “Empower’s vision is to establish leading practices in Data Governance together with an active community of key stakeholders, industry and policy makers to address key challenges to establish data ecosystem on global scale.”