AI Awards 2026 Finalists Announced

The 2026 Finalists are:

Agentic AI Innovation of the Year

Future Proof Knowledge

Future Proof Knowledge uses AI agents to support regulated care workflows, including clinical deadlines, reauthorisation, caregiver training and billing. Its architecture connects structured patient context with verified information, helping teams automate tasks while retaining traceability and oversight.

Oac Snacks

Oac Snacks developed a multi-agent planning system supporting commercial, supply and finance decisions. Defined agent roles, evidence-based debate and human approval help challenge assumptions, assess forecasts and keep business decisions traceable within clear limits on autonomy.

SPRYT

SPRYT’s Asa is an AI agent managing appointment booking, rescheduling, reminders and patient queries through familiar messaging channels. Conversational AI and predictive analytics support appointment attendance, helping healthcare teams coordinate patient journeys and reduce administrative workload.

yieldHUB

yieldHUB Live brings agentic AI to semiconductor testing, with agents monitoring data, analysing performance and supporting operational decisions. The platform helps manufacturers improve yield, reduce unnecessary retesting and use existing production capacity more efficiently through real-time insights.

AI Person of the Year

Louise McCormack

Louise is a trustworthy AI researcher, governance specialist and founder of the Irish Alliance for Trustworthy AI. She connects practical governance frameworks, international standards and organisational implementation. Her work also advances transparency, accountability and accessible approaches to responsible AI.

Melissa Proxenos

Brightbeam’s Melissa delivers AI solutions in regulated environments, combining technical innovation with explainability and compliance. Her work helps organisations move from experimentation into production through a repeatable approach that supports practical business outcomes and responsible adoption.

Pat Bolger

Pat leads Herdwatch’s AI and technology strategy, connecting farmer-facing innovation with internal adoption and measurement. His work on Herd Intelligence makes agricultural data easier to use, while promoting evidence-led development and practical AI adoption across the business.

Tony Corrigan

Tony is an Irish AI entrepreneur applying technology to public procurement. Through TenderScout and BidReview, he combines domain expertise with machine learning and language models to strengthen tender submissions, support smaller businesses and mentor emerging founders.

Best Application of AI in Consumer and Customer Service

Headon Boxing Academy

Headon Boxing Academy’s Pulse uses AI to identify changes in member behaviour that may signal cancellation risk. Combining predictive analysis with staff-led outreach, it helps teams prioritise timely interventions and learn from outcomes to support member retention.

Laya Healthcare

Laya Healthcare’s Knowledge Hub helps customer service advisers find consistent, policy-specific answers through a single interface. It combines approved information with relevant member context, providing supporting references and confidence indicators to assist human judgement and customer conversations.

Ministry Brands Ireland

Ministry Brands Ireland’s Amplify Intelligence enables churches and non-profits to explore information across systems using natural language. Governed access and approval controls support useful insights while protecting sensitive data, helping teams focus more time on their communities.

SSE Airtricity

SSE Airtricity’s Enhanced Smart Insights Energy Advisor uses generative AI and smart-meter information to provide personalised energy guidance. Its evaluation-led approach checks accuracy, tone and relevance, helping customers understand their consumption and make more informed energy decisions.

Best Application of AI in Cybersecurity

BH Consulting

BH Consulting’s BH Haven brings cybersecurity, data protection and AI governance together in one service. Combining AI-supported automation with expert oversight, it helps smaller organisations manage digital risk, strengthen security and navigate evolving governance and regulatory requirements.

Disseqt AI

Disseqt provides security and governance for AI-powered financial workflows, checking outputs for threats, bias, accuracy and consistency. Explainable recommendations, continuous monitoring and auditable records help teams oversee automated decisions and respond to issues within controlled operational processes.

Health Service Executive

The HSE developed an AI-assisted approach to reviewing suppliers’ cybersecurity evidence during technology procurement. Working within a governed environment, it supports consistent assessments and traceable justifications, with specialist human review retained throughout the evaluation process.

Island Networks

Island Networks developed a secure multi-agent AI platform connecting cybersecurity tools and information sources. Natural-language investigations, threat correlation and explainable recommendations help security teams assess issues more efficiently, while retaining human oversight and control over operational decisions.

Best Application of AI in Healthcare

Mental Health Commission

The Mental Health Commission uses human-supervised generative AI to turn inspection findings into draft regulatory reports. Structured inputs, tailored prompts and expert validation support efficient drafting while preserving quality, accuracy and professional accountability within the reporting process.

Nexomic

Nexomic’s DeepOmic uses multi-omic AI to identify cancer patient subgroups and investigate treatment response and metastatic risk. Built on its AtlasX data platform, the approach develops explainable biomarkers undergoing prospective validation, with an initial focus on advanced cancers.

Sláinte Finance

Sláinte Finance connects GP practice income, banking, staffing and clinical information to identify unclaimed entitlements. AI categorises and explains information while calculations remain deterministic and auditable, helping practices understand their finances and make informed decisions about resources.

SPRYT

SPRYT’s Asa helps healthcare providers manage appointments and patient communication through familiar messaging channels. Combining conversational AI with no-show prediction, it supports booking, reminders and patient queries, aiming to improve access to care and reduce administrative burden.

Best Application of AI in a Large Enterprise

Mark Anthony Brands International

Mark Anthony Brands International integrates governed generative AI into its Content Factory to support creative production across its brands. The programme combines content generation, predictive analysis and oversight, helping teams develop, test and deliver marketing assets more efficiently.

Musgrave Group

Musgrave’s AI and Automation Factory supports responsible adoption across its retail businesses. Combining automation, Microsoft Copilot, staff training and internally developed AI products, the programme establishes governance and delivery practices that help teams apply technology to everyday operational needs.

Novartis

Novartis developed an AI-powered Survey Intelligence Platform to turn clinical trial feasibility surveys into usable insights. Combining structured data modelling with generative AI, it helps clinical teams review information, support site selection and make informed trial-planning decisions.

Unum

Unum’s Small Market Big Bet connects legacy insurance systems through multi-agent orchestration, supporting quoting, onboarding, enrolment and administration. Developed with its Irish technology team, the programme streamlines customer journeys and helps teams manage complex insurance processes more efficiently.

Best Application of AI in Public Sector

ADAPT Research Centre – Sea-Scan

Sea-Scan combines AI with subsea fibre-optic sensing to detect and classify vessels. Developed by ADAPT and Trinity researchers, it supports maritime awareness and critical infrastructure monitoring, demonstrating how university research can contribute to public safety and national resilience.

Examinaite

Examinaite supports public education through explainable AI feedback grounded in official examination marking schemes. Its teacher tools assist assessment preparation and marking, while accessible learning features and use within university access programmes support students with diverse educational needs.

Health Service Executive

The HSE uses AI to review suppliers’ cybersecurity evidence during public healthcare technology procurement. Consistent scoring, documented reasoning and expert oversight help teams assess digital risks efficiently, supporting accountable purchasing and the protection of public health services.

TeachersTech

TeachersTech supports education delivery with AI-generated, curriculum-verified plans in English and Irish. It reduces classroom administration while preserving professional judgement, with safeguarding and transparency supporting responsible use across diverse teaching settings, including mixed-age classrooms.

Best Use of Responsible AI and Ethics

ADAPT Research Centre – Precision ALS

Precision ALS applies responsible AI to research involving people living with ALS, protecting sensitive participant data through data minimisation, restricted access and independent validation. Auditable evidence and qualified researcher oversight support privacy, ethical safeguards and accountability throughout research workflows.

Daon

Daon’s xDeTECH detects synthetic, cloned and replayed voices to help combat AI-enabled fraud. Its responsible AI approach combines governed datasets, controlled model releases and human oversight, embedding accountability and purpose limitation into the deployment of voice detection technology.

Disseqt AI

Disseqt advances responsible AI through independent testing for harmful outputs, bias and safety weaknesses. Its sports-sector project combines adversarial testing with expert human review, helping protect diverse audiences and maintain transparent, evidence-based ethical assurance as AI systems evolve.

Grant Thornton Ireland

Grant Thornton Ireland’s GT Airis embeds responsible AI principles into regulatory assessments through verification, traceability and human accountability. Controlled data access and evidence-based assessment logic help prevent unsupported conclusions, supporting transparent, auditable decisions while retaining expert oversight.

Young AI Role Model of the Year

Ben Barrett

Ben co-founded Nomad to help organisations adopt AI safely and practically. His approach combines governance, team training and measurable outcomes, while extending AI education to charities and demonstrating an entrepreneurial route into responsible technology leadership.

Corey Duffy

Corey leads the delivery of production AI systems at Brightbeam, working across customer assistance and forecasting applications. He also develops reusable infrastructure, shares engineering guidance and mentors colleagues, helping teams build practical AI with consistent technical foundations.

Feargal O’Sullivan

Feargal is a data scientist at FIRE1 specialising in trustworthy healthcare AI. His work spans medical algorithms and device compliance, combining technical expertise with clinical understanding, responsible innovation and mentoring to support practical applications in regulated health environments.

Shravya Shree Gali

Shravya combines statistics, machine learning, data engineering and software expertise at yieldHUB. She develops production AI for semiconductor analytics, advances real-time analysis and mentors emerging data scientists, demonstrating technical breadth alongside practical delivery and team leadership.

Best Application of AI in an SME

Adherent

Adherent combines regulatory expertise with agentic AI to support product compliance. Its platform translates regulations into actionable requirements, assesses products and provides cited recommendations, helping manufacturers reduce manual work while retaining traceability and oversight of compliance decisions.

Advise

Advise provides AI-powered commercial intelligence for consumer-goods businesses, bringing retail information, verified analytics and natural-language querying together. It helps teams explore performance, improve reporting and identify opportunities, with emerging agent workflows designed to support decisions requiring human approval.

Dimply

Dimply’s Holi is an AI financial companion designed for regulated financial services. It combines conversational interaction with a deterministic, auditable information system, supporting personalised guidance while maintaining explainability and controls intended to enable trustworthy deployment within financial organisations.

Herdwatch

Herdwatch’s Herd Intelligence lets farmers ask questions about their livestock records and receive relevant answers. Combining live farm information, agricultural knowledge and AI, it makes complex data more accessible and supports practical decisions through a conversational interface.

Best Application of AI to Achieve Social Good

Examinaite

Examinaite aims to widen access to examiner-style feedback through an affordable AI learning platform. Its accessible tools support students and education access programmes, while helping teachers prepare assessments and carry out first-pass marking with greater efficiency and consistency.

Realtá

Realtá’s FrAML platform brings fraud, anti-money-laundering and related risk intelligence together using AI. Explainable alerts and auditable information support financial crime analysis, helping organisations protect consumers and investigate suspicious activity while maintaining transparency and oversight of decisions.

SmartSpace Technologies Ltd

SmartSpace’s SmartGuardian uses privacy-preserving AI sensors to identify falls and signs of distress without conventional cameras or wearables. The service supports older people living independently, helping families respond to concerns while protecting residents’ dignity, privacy and daily routines.

TalentHunter

TalentHunter uses AI-assisted screening with mandatory human oversight to support fairer and more transparent recruitment. Explainable decisions, audit trails and applicant communication help smaller businesses manage hiring responsibly, with an emphasis on accountability, candidate experience and trust.

Best Application of AI in a Startup

Annora AI

Annora AI connects manufacturers’ existing systems, files and operational knowledge through a secure AI layer. Its approach supports access to business information without requiring migration, helping teams streamline quotation workflows and identify opportunities within their existing operations.

BidReview

BidReview gives smaller businesses an AI-assisted assessment of tender submissions before submission. Combining structured evaluation with procurement expertise, it identifies weaknesses and supports improvements, helping prepare clearer bids and compete more effectively for public-sector contract opportunities.

Capisso

Capisso uses AI agents to support accounting workflows from document capture and reconciliation to reporting and tax preparation. Designed for Irish accountants and SMEs, the platform aims to reduce administrative work and create more time for advisory services.

Sláinte Finance

Sláinte Finance uses AI to make GP practice finances easier to understand, connecting income, banking, staffing and clinical information. Deterministic calculations underpin entitlement checks, while conversational tools explain results and help practices explore resource and service-planning decisions.

Best Application of AI in a Student Project

Alina Bolshakova, Ariane Damian, Milena Miranda and Muireann Ryle | DCU

Alina and her team developed an AI pipeline to identify misogynistic language in football discussions. Human annotation and transformer benchmarking underpin a detection model, lexicon and dataset intended to support research, moderation and safer participation in online communities.

Brian O’Sullivan, Malcolm Palmer, Nourhene Ben Juddou and Giulia Lorelli | Bologna Business School

Brian and his team developed an experimental AI pipeline analysing Irish public procurement records to flag potential risks for human review. Combining language processing, machine learning and contextual explanations, the project explores transparent, accountable support for public-sector auditing.

Praveen Prasannan | University of Galway

Praveen created KAVACHAM, a multi-agent AI system addressing homophobic and transphobic content in Malayalam and Manglish. Semantic retrieval, specialist agents and human validation support detection and constructive responses, reflecting the linguistic and cultural needs of an under-resourced language community.

Yiling Lei | National College of Ireland

Yiling helped develop a source-backed AI assistant for healthcare customer service advisers. The project combines versioned policy information with relevant member context and controlled retrieval, supporting consistent answers while emphasising references, evaluation and human oversight of sensitive decisions.

Best Application of AI in Sustainability

Herdwatch

Herdwatch’s Herd Intelligence makes farm sustainability information accessible through conversation. Farmers can explore livestock treatments, fertiliser use, weight and soil records, helping them understand their own data and consider decisions related to nutrient efficiency, emissions and antimicrobial use.

Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland

Musgrave’s Green Claims Agent reviews sustainability claims across text and visual material. Grounded in approved guidance, it flags potentially misleading statements and missing evidence, helping teams produce traceable reviews while retaining human oversight throughout the validation process.

Uisce Éireann

Uisce Éireann applies AI to water management through leak detection, infrastructure inspection and operational support. Its programme combines technology adoption, workforce learning and governance, helping teams use information more effectively to improve efficiency, reduce waste and strengthen service resilience.

WiseFood

WiseFood, led by RCSI, combines AI, retrieval and knowledge graphs to support healthier and more sustainable food choices. Its applications provide personalised, evidence-based guidance, with living labs informing development and planned research examining how households use the tools.

Women in AI Ambassador of the Year

Naomh McElhatton

Naomh is an entrepreneur, educator and Women in AI ambassador championing inclusion and responsible adoption. Through mentoring, events and community activity, she connects business and education, helping women and non-technical audiences build confidence and participate in AI.

Onur Korucu

Onur is an AI governance, cybersecurity and digital trust leader advocating for women in technology. Her mentoring, education and international community work create opportunities for emerging professionals, while promoting responsible innovation and greater inclusion in technical leadership.

Urja Pawar

Urja is a data scientist at BNY specialising in explainable and trustworthy AI. Alongside technical delivery and research, she supports women in technology through mentoring, education, inclusive recruitment and university engagement, strengthening pathways into practical AI work and leadership.

Dr. Valerie McTaggart

Valerie is a Senior Academic Lecturer, researcher and former Head of the Department of Business at Atlantic Technological University. Her research, doctoral supervision and learning initiatives connect academia with SMEs and communities, supporting women and regional participation in AI education and innovation.