The Irish Tech News Podcast

• How do you dispose of old batteries?,  Derry Cronin, Business Development Director of EHS International

  Lithium-ion batteries are powering our daily lives, from phones to e-bikes to electric cars, but they also bring a silent risk most workplaces aren’t prepared for. Many don’t know that traditional firefighting techniques often make these fires worse, and without public awareness, communities remain exposed to catastrophic incidents. EHS International is a leading provider of Environmental, Health and Safety services in Ireland, with offices in Cork, Dublin and Belfast) has said many Irish businesses are now scrambling on this, with training on fires related to Lithium-ion batteries increasing 10% in the past year. Derry Cronin the Business Development Director of EHS International also flagged that many do not have policies in place on the issue.I recently caught up with Derry to learn more about this. Derry spoke to me about his background, battery disposal, e-scooters and moreMore about EHS International:EHS International provide their clients nationally and internationally with the broadest range of Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) services available on the market today. These include comprehensive EHS Services Delivery and EHS and Safety related Projects. As well as EHS related Acquisitions and Investment and EHS Technology solutions divisions. These are all led by experts in their respective fields. 

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• Fintech Trends: Unwrapping 2025 and predicting 2026

  🚀 What's the countdown after Thanksgiving? The new year! 🎙️ Our latest One Vision episode tackles what's ahead for the banking industry in 2026. Theo is joined by Pam Kaur, Tiffani Montez, and Julie Muhn where they dive deep into the unpredictable world of 2025 and discuss the trends shaping the future of fintech, AI, payments, and consumer finance. Don’t miss the bold predictions and thought-provoking discussions on agentic commerce, open banking, data sharing, and more! 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome01:04 Reflecting on 2025: Unpredictable Events02:11 Economic Challenges and Consumer Finance02:47 Market Trends08:19 The Rise of Agentic Commerce10:49 Ethics and Security in an AI Era14:14 Future of Banking and Payments28:31 1033 and Data Sharing 32:23 Crystal Ball Predictions for 2026📍 Hot take: “If you have generative AI tools that are controlling the product discovery and recommendation, you lose all the data associated with that. I think there's definitely not a lot of dialogue about what gen AI means for banking in terms of product discovery.” ~ Tiffani Montez📍 Hot take: “Is anybody tracking how much money they have on their Starbucks card as like an asset?” ~ Pam Kaur📍 Hot take: “So know your customer, know your business. And now we're looking at KYA, Know Your Agent …  We are probably severely behind when it comes to authentication and the security and privacy of it all.” ~ Julie Muhn#AI #Fintech #Payments #Agents #AgenticCommerce #Data🔗 Finovate White Paper: Fintech at the Crossroadshttps://get.informaconnect.com/finovate-2025-white-paper-fintech-at-the-crossroads/?web Find Pam Kaur on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamkaur001/ Find Tiffani Montez on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffani-montez-b794283/ Find Julie Muhn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieschicktanz/ Find Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🔗 Theo’s latest book: Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence: https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🔗 About Unconventional Ventures and the One Vision Podcast: https://www.unconventionalventures.com/

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• Never ask AI something you don’t already know the answer to Ivan Jennings, Tech Sales Leader Red Hat Ireland

  According to the WIN World AI Index only 3% of Irish consumers aged between 35-54 engage with AI regularly. To find out more about this I spoke to  Ivan Jennings, Tech Sales Leader Red Hat Ireland .Ivan talks about his background, the first ever WIN World AI Index Irish findings, AI, ubiquitous computing and moreMore about the WIN World AI Index Survey:The WIN World AI Index Survey 2025 is a global initiative capturing how people in 40 countries perceive, understand, and prepare for the rise of Artificial Intelligence. This pioneering survey provides a unique snapshot of global AI readiness, trust, and usage.

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• Who's in on the Digital Revolution? Global internet trends, AI adoption, and the shifting tides of consumer behaviors

  Who’s in on the digital revolution?In this episode of One Vision, Theo welcomes back Simon Kemp, Chief Analyst of DataReportal and Founder of Kepios, for a deep dive into the latest Digital 2026 report. The duo explores the monumental amount of data published over the past six months, including insights on AI usage, internet adoption, socio-demographic disparities, and the hyperbole surrounding digital media. Key highlights include the conservative estimate of over 1 billion monthly users of standalone AI tools, the challenges of internet accessibility in rural areas and among women, and the role of AI in our society. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on digital trends and the future of our digital economy.00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome00:53 Digital 2026 Report Overview02:40 AI Usage Statistics05:09 AI in China and Global Impact07:42 AI Tools and User Behavior23:40 Debunking Myths About AI and Agentic Commerce25:54 Consumer Behavior and AI Adoption34:46 Global Internet Access Disparities39:25 Projections for Digital Trends in 2026Hot Take: “ …  understanding my place in the universe and my broader purpose as a human being. That's such a deep, profound conversation, and we're having it with robots. It. There's something ironic. A computer program.”Hot Take: “ Nothing in any of this is a binary choice and we've got to stop kidding ourselves that there is this magic one ring to rule them all. 'cause there isn't.”#AI #GenerativeAI #AgenticAI #Internet #Digital #Inclusion Find Simon Kemp on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eskimon/ 🔗Digital 2026 Report via DataReportal: https://datareportal.com/reports/?tag=Global Find Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/ 🔗My latest book: Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence: https://www.bankingonaibook.com/ 🔗About Unconventional Ventures and the One Vision Podcast: https://www.unconventionalventures.com/

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• Online shopping tips with David Curtin, CEO .ie

  New research has found that some 58% of Irish shoppers plan to make Black Friday purchases on retailer websites with a .ie domain, citing stronger trust, security and a desire to support Irish businesses as key reasons.The research, carried out by Core Research on behalf of Ireland’s national domain registry (.ie) also showed that some 55% of respondents plan on making a purchase during Black Friday or Cyber Monday. I caught up with David Curtin, Chief Executive of .ie to find out about more of the surveys results and how to shop online safely.David talks about why .ie is safe, online shopping tips, consumers rights, tips for business owners and more.More about David Curtin:David Curtin joined Ireland’s national domain registry (.ie)in November 2002, and was appointed interim Chief Executive in October 2003 and Chief Executive in January 2004. David worked for eight years in Dublin and Paris with the Jefferson Smurfit Group plc. He was Chief Executive of Smurfit Software Services, project manager for the Smurfit Group’s Hyperion systems implementation, and internal auditor of Smurfit Ireland. Prior to this he worked for KPMG in Dublin and Philadelphia. David is a graduate of UCD, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and holds a first class honours MBA from the UCD Smurfit School.

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