Over 700 delegates at Big Data Belfast conference to explore Northern Ireland’s potential to be a hub for AI

Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) represent a huge opportunity for Northern Ireland’s tech sector but companies here will have to invest in developing new skills and capabilities if they want to be at the forefront of AI deployment, a major conference heard.

Now in its ninth year, Big Data Belfast, presented by Analytics Engines and supported by headline sponsor EY, took place at the ICC Belfast, bringing together more than 700 delegates from the Northern Ireland technology sector.

The conference provided expert insights into the world of data, with a variety of speakers and panel sessions across a range of hot topics including AI, Generative AI, ChatGPT, Net Zero, ESG, Media and more.

The Global Generative AI market is expected to be worth over $110bn by 2030 and the conference heard about its potential to solve problems and simplify tasks that previously would have had to be done manually.

But delegates also heard that AI technology is advancing so quickly that businesses who don’t embrace the change and invest in upskilling to understand the latest developments risk missing out.

Analytics Engines’ managing director, Dr Aislinn Rice, said: “With a thriving technology ecosystem full of innovative companies, it’s no surprise that Northern Ireland is being referred to as a ‘testing centre’ for Artificial Intelligence in the UK. The speed and sophistication of AI solutions being created on this island is breath-taking, and this new technology creates a big opportunity for the region.

“Analytics Engines has been developing and implementing AI solutions for many years but in 2022, I don't think many of us were talking about large language models, generative AI or ChatGPT. There has been a significant step change in the capabilities of LLMs in the past year and we have been deeply immersed in the new ecosystem of tools and techniques. We envision a future where AI serves as an invaluable ally, assisting businesses in extracting meaningful patterns, trends, and correlations from datasets.”

Gareth Kelly, partner, Data & Analytics EY Northern Ireland, explained: “There’s no doubt that Generative AI represents a huge opportunity for many different segments of the business world. We are delighted to support Big Data Belfast as it provides a platform to hear from a range of expert speakers and panellists to share their experiences of developing and deploying AI.

“Many companies in Northern Ireland are developing clever uses of AI and it is incumbent on all of us to take the time to assess and analyse the implications of the latest advances to ensure that we can make the most of the opportunities created.”

Speakers at today’s (Thursday) Big Data Belfast also included citizen astronaut candidate Dr Norah Patten, Catherine Doyle, managing director of Dell Technologies in Ireland, Justin Edwards from Minecraft Education, Sebastián Lancestremère, Sports managing director at Microsoft and Tarek Madany Mamlouk from Axel Springer.

The event showcased the most relevant data and AI topics across various sectors including sustainability, transport, media, government and technology and discussed how we can use data and AI to solve some of the most challenging business, social, economic and environmental issues.