Developing AI expertise is about more than technical ability. It also involves solving real problems, sharing knowledge and helping others understand how to use AI effectively and responsibly.
The Young AI Role Model of the Year award Sponsored by Alldus | Leaders in AI Saffing recognises emerging talent making an impact through innovation, leadership and mentoring.
This year’s four featured finalists, Ben Barrett, Corey Duffy, Feargal O’Sullivan and Shravya Shree Gali, represent different areas of AI, from business adoption and production systems to healthcare and semiconductor analytics.
Their work demonstrates how the next generation of AI professionals is contributing to practical applications while helping others develop the skills and confidence to work with the technology.
Meet the Finalists
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 O’Sullivan 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.
Supporting the Next Generation of AI Talent
The achievements of these finalists highlight an important aspect of AI development: technical progress depends on people who are willing to share their knowledge and help others succeed.
As AI becomes more widely adopted, organisations have an opportunity to support emerging professionals by creating environments where learning, experimentation and collaboration are encouraged.
There are several practical ways employers can contribute:
Provide opportunities to solve real problems. Give emerging professionals meaningful projects with clear objectives and opportunities to demonstrate their abilities.
Encourage collaboration. Bring technical specialists together with colleagues who understand the business processes, customers or industries where AI will be applied.
Make responsible AI part of everyday work. Encourage teams to test outputs, question assumptions, identify limitations and understand when human oversight is necessary.
Recognise mentoring and knowledge sharing. Developing colleagues, documenting solutions and sharing lessons learned are valuable contributions alongside technical delivery.
Create opportunities for continued learning. Support employees in developing new skills as AI technologies and industry requirements evolve.
These practices can help organisations develop stronger AI capabilities while giving emerging talent the experience and support needed to progress.
Why Young AI Role Models Matter
AI is evolving quickly, creating opportunities for people entering the industry to contribute to important technological and organisational changes.
However, developing the next generation of AI leaders requires more than technical education. It also means providing opportunities to gain practical experience, work across disciplines and understand the wider impact of the systems they develop.
The Young AI Role Model of the Year category recognises individuals who are already demonstrating these qualities.
From making AI more accessible to businesses and charities to developing applications in healthcare and semiconductor manufacturing, the featured finalists show the breadth of opportunities available to emerging AI professionals.
Their contributions also reinforce the importance of mentoring, collaboration and responsible development in building a sustainable AI ecosystem in Ireland.
“Developing AI talent isn’t just about teaching people how to build models or use new tools. It’s about giving them opportunities to solve real problems, learn from experienced colleagues and share that knowledge with others. What stands out about these young professionals is that they’re already contributing to practical AI applications while helping others develop their skills. That’s exactly the kind of leadership we need as AI adoption continues to grow.” – Mark Kelly, Founder of AI Ireland
Join us at the Irish AI Awards 2026
Join us on Tuesday, 17 November 2026, at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Golden Lane, Dublin, as we celebrate Ireland’s AI community’s outstanding achievements and reveal this year’s winners.
Tickets are available now. Secure your place and join us for an event celebrating the people, organisations and innovations shaping the future of artificial intelligence in Ireland.
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