ADAPT Radio

Democratic stability faces an unprecedented challenge from hyper-accelerated digital disruption and algorithmic manipulation.

We examine the strategic intersection of technology, law, and human rights as the Council of the European Union presidency transitions to Ireland. This discussion defines the research agenda for the new Trinity Centre for Digital Security and Societal Resilience.

Our guests include Olivia Waters, Head of Impact and Growth Strategy at the Adapt Centre, along with key voices from the National Cyber Security Centre, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, and academic leadership from Yale and Trinity College Dublin.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

Transitioning the European Union presidency agenda
Defining societal resilience beyond technological solutions
Algorithmic risks to individual democratic agency
Enforcement of existing digital rights legislation
Multidisciplinary approaches to national cybersecurity threats

GUEST DETAILS

Olivia Waters is the Head of Impact and Growth Strategy at the Adapt Centre. She leads institutional initiatives that bridge academic research with public policy. Her expertise includes strategic growth, innovation frameworks, and managing complex stakeholder relationships across the European research ecosystem.

Connect with Olivia:

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/watersolivia

MORE INFORMATION

You can learn more about the Sea-Scan project and other cutting-edge research at Trinity College Dublin's ADAPT Centre here: www.adaptcentre.ie/
Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the ADAPT Centre
For more information about ADAPT's groundbreaking AI and data analytics research visit www.adaptcentre.ie/

As Ireland prepares for its 2026 Presidency of the Council of the European Union, a critical challenge looms. The technology landscape is shifting dramatically, with foundational AI models concentrating immense power and influence into the hands of a few major players. This dependence introduces massive risks, including uncontrollable costs and a profound lack of national agency over essential digital infrastructure. This is the central problem facing Europe’s digital future.

The solution may lie in building AI systems that are open, trustworthy, and sovereign. This episode explores how embracing open source—a development model and licensing approach—is the key to ensuring resilience, adaptability, and the freedom to affect change. It is a pathway to controlling one’s own digital destiny.

To discuss this vital issue, we are joined by Clare Dillon, a founder of Open Ireland Network and PhD researcher, and Sarah Novotny, an esteemed open source champion who has led projects such as Kubernetes and OpenTelemetry.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT
Sovereignty means avoiding external control
AI amplifies power through data
Open source provides agency and freedom
Funding software maintenance is essential
Collaboration builds future technology

GUEST DETAILS
Clare Dillon is a founder of Open Ireland Network and is currently a PhD researcher in University of Galway with the Lyro Research Centre. Her work focuses on researching open collaborative software development practices and the idea of trustworthiness through code transparency.
Sarah Novotny is a leading open source champion, actively involved in significant projects including Kubernetes, OpenTelemetry, NGINX, and MySQL. She is also studying for a Master's in Applied Social Data Science in Trinity College, Dublin.

In an age where critical infrastructure, democratic processes and public services all depend on digital technology, the stakes for getting cybersecurity right have never been higher. A ransomware attack can shut down a country’s health service overnight, and AI now makes it possible to fabricate passports, clone voices and impersonate anyone convincingly. The question is no longer whether something will go wrong - it is how we build the foundations to bounce back when it does.
Professor Hitesh Tewari and Dr Maria Grazia Porcedda join Dr. Claire O’Connell to discuss the newly launched Trinity Centre for Digital Security and Societal Resilience at Trinity College Dublin. They explore what separates digital security from societal resilience, how zero-knowledge proofs could reshape how we prove our identity online, and why cybersecurity is too important to be left to computer scientists alone. They also share their personal journeys into the field, from blockchain research to EU law, and lay out their ambitions for turning the centre into a nationally funded, cross-Ireland research hub.
THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT
What digital security and societal resilience actually mean, and why we need both
The 2021 HSE ransomware attack as a wake-up call for Ireland
How AI is enabling identity fraud, deepfakes and document forgery
Zero-knowledge proofs: proving who you are without revealing your data
Protecting Ireland’s undersea cables and critical digital infrastructure
The newly launched Trinity Centre for Digital Security and Societal Resilience
Top tips for everyday digital security — and why individual responsibility only goes so far

GUEST DETAILS
Prof. Hitesh Tewari leads the Applied Cryptography Research Lab at Trinity College Dublin, where his research spans Security, Applied Cryptography, Privacy, and Decentralisation. He co-authored Electronic Payment Systems, and has since focused on the broader application of Blockchain technology across areas including public health and personal privacy. A member of the Ripple UBRI professorial network, his lab most recently released zkBallot in 2025 — a privacy-preserving electronic voting platform delivering both voter anonymity and public auditability.
Maria Grazia Porcedda is Assistant Professor of IT Law at Trinity College Dublin, specialising in privacy, data protection, cybersecurity, and cybercrime at the intersection of law and technology. She is the author of Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Protection in EU Law (Hart Publishing) and has advised the EU Directorate General for Development and Cooperation on cyber capacity building. Her policy-oriented, interdisciplinary scholarship is supported by several research awards, and she holds a PhD in Law from the European University Institute, where her thesis examined cybersecurity and privacy rights in EU law.

Connect with the Guests:
Prof. Hitesh Tewari
Website: https://www.tcd.ie/research/profiles/?profile=htewari
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiteshtewari/

Maria Grazia Porcedda
Website: https://www.tcd.ie/research/profiles/?profile=mariagrp
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariagraziaporcedda/

The increasing sophistication of AI-generated content—like deepfake video and perfect scam calls—is rapidly heightening the risk of disinformation, phishing, and social engineering for everyone. This evolution means all citizens, from primary school pupils to public service leaders, must urgently build digital resilience and cyber literacy.

Professor Rachel Farrell and Paul Stanley discuss the critical need for cyber hygiene, effective educational strategies like the Cyber Citizenship project, and how businesses can establish robust disaster recovery plans to withstand major attacks. They share actionable advice on protecting data and fostering a community-wide culture of security.
Joining the programme are Professor Rachel Farrell, Director of the Professional Master of Education programme at UCD, and Paul Stanley, Head of Engagement at Ireland's National Cyber Security Centre

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

AI makes scams harder to detect.
Cyber hygiene protects personal data.
Urgency means an attack risk.
Organisations need a recovery plan.
Strong authentication prevents most incidents.

GUEST DETAILS

Professor Rachel Farrell is Director of the Professional Master of Education (PME) programme in the School of Education at University College Dublin (UCD). She is founder of the UCD Centre for Cyber Resilience Education (Cyberwise.ie) and is a Principal Investigator on the SECURE project focused on primary school cybersecurity education, supporting teacher capacity-building and student engagement.
Paul Stanley is the Head of Engagement at Ireland's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). He has a background in Information Security and Identity and Access Management and leads on the implementation of the EU/NCSC Cyber COREs project

Connect with the Guests:
Prof. Rachel Farrell
Website: cyberwise.ie
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-farrell-phd-ucd/

Paul Stanley
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-stanley-a1ab29317/

MORE INFORMATION
You can learn more about the Sea-Scan project and other cutting-edge research at Trinity College Dublin's ADAPT Centre here: www.adaptcentre.ie/
Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the ADAPT Centre
For more information about ADAPT's groundbreaking AI and data analytics research visit www.adaptcentre.ie/

Artificial Intelligence is deeply embedded in essential everyday services, often without public
awareness, making AI literacy a critical issue of personal autonomy, social inclusion, and online
safety for older adults. Without foundational knowledge, this demographic risks being shaped by AI
rather than shaping its future. The Age-Friendly AI initiative is working to close this knowledge gap
through national dialogue and co-created literacy training.
The episode explores participants' hopes for independent living technologies and their serious
concerns regarding privacy, security scams, and complicated digital interfaces. It details the three-
phase approach to developing accessible training rolled out across libraries.
Dr Claire O'Connell is joined by Paula Kelly, a lecturer and lead on the Age-Friendly AI initiative at TU
Dublin, and Michael Core, an electrical and electronic engineer and lecturer also at TU Dublin. They
share insights from thousands of engagements with older adults across Ireland.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT
● AI literacy is essential for autonomy
● AI is embedded in everyday life
● Older adults engaged in co-creation
● Hopes and concerns shape training
● Need coordinated investment for upskilling

GUEST DETAILS
Paula Kelly is a lecturer and member of the tPOT Research Group in the School of Electrical and
Electronic Engineering at TU Dublin. She is the team lead on the Research Ireland funded Age-
Friendly AI: Ireland's National Artificial Intelligence Literacy Initiative. This initiative fosters national
dialogue on AI with older adults and co-creates a comprehensive, accessible, and inclusive national
AI literacy programme.

Michael Core is an electrical and electronic engineer and a lecturer also at the School of
Electronic and Engineering in TU Dublin. He has a particular interest in integrating embedded
systems using new web technologies and has many years of senior management experience in
the telecommunications industry.

Connect with the Guests:
● Paula Kelly email : paulakelly@tudublin.ie
● Michael Core linkedin: linkedin.com/in/michaelcore
● Website: https://agefriendlyai.ie/