For Tech’s Sake

Joining Elaine this week are two special guests on two very different topics. Cybersecurity expert Brian Honan fills us in on what’s going on with the EU’s Chat Control proposal and explains how it could do more harm than good. Then, author Sylvia Leatham discusses her book Chaos Theory, which takes the familiarity of the workplace and mixes it up with a socially awkward robot.If you want to reach out to your MEP about concerns regarding Chat Control, go to FightChatControl.eu. And head to linktr.ee/SylviaLeatham to find out where you can pick up a copy of Chaos Theory.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have things to say about another survey, this time all about AI in the workplace. We look at what some other research is telling us about AI adoption and consider the ethics of pushing gen-AI technologies on workers in light of some recent revelations.We also learn all about peer-to-peer energy sharing from Sweta Malik, a senior power systems researcher at the UCD Energy Institute. And, as usual, we end with our picks of what’s good in the tech world right now, shining the spotlight on some great work from Irish artists. Content warning: This episode touches on the topics of self-harm and suicide. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Find out about the deep-tech side of femtech from our special guest Dr Tanya Mulcahy, director of Health Innovation Hub Ireland and founder of FemTech Ireland. In this episode we also try to get to the bottom of some bizarre search suggestions on TikTok. And remember to listen to the end for our suggestion of something good you can find online today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today is gonna be the day that Kelly and Elaine are gonna throw a look back on a bleak week of tech news, from some shocking revelations over at Meta AI to some concerning behaviour from Stripe’s customer service team. We also look into why VPN advertising has ramped up in Ireland and leave you with something you can use to spend your days in the sunshine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are delighted to be joined in this episode by Benji Foley, a PhD researcher at DCU's Institute for Research on Genders and Sexualities, who explains the concept of digital sexual literacy and why it’s important we build this up in young people. In particular, Benji’s research looks at digital sexual literacy among young people from the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland, and what he’s learned in the early stages of his research might surprise you. Kelly and Elaine also look at the release of OpenAI’s new GPT-5 model, a Google Maps blunder that led a women to RTÉ looking for Lidl, some bad maths in the media and billionaire Dermot Desmond’s unrealistic expectations of autonomous vehicles.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s investments in AI military technologies are turning off musicians and listeners. Kelly Earley and Elaine Burke discuss the many ethical issues Spotify’s streaming has waded into and how the algorithmic flow of music has affected their own listening habits, and Kelly floats some alternative options for music-lovers. Kelly also gives us a speedy intro to Formula E and Elaine has a surprising fact that links ’90s punk band The Offspring with some modern medical marvels. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elaine Burke speaks to Riham Al Faqih, development and outreach director with MIFTAH, a civil society organisation based in Palestine, about digital rights violations committed against Palestinians. Their conversation took place shortly after an internet blackout in Gaza, and highlights how Palestine has become a testing ground for the advancement of surveillance tech.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kicking off a new season of For Tech’s Sake, hosts Elaine Burke and Kelly Earley discuss recent developments in age verification for social media and online platforms within the EU and the UK. They assess the practical challenges, examine the privacy risks and debate the implications of relying on tech alone to solve this problem. Listen to the end for our suggestion of something good you can find online today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For Tech’s Sake is back with an all-new series, a brand new co-host and lots more tech stories to talk about.Join Elaine Burke and Kelly Earley as they look at tech through a critical lens – not evangelising or demonising it, but definitely throwing a bit of shade when it’s deserved.Follow us for updates:InstagramBlueskyTikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this extended interview with serial entrepreneur Bobby Healy, we find out more about his roll-out plans for drone delivery company Manna across Ireland. We also discussed some of the challenges of launching technologies like this, such as social acceptance and job displacement, and we found out more about the sustainability of drone services versus other alternatives. And, finally, we got Bobby’s very candid take on autonomous vehicles on the road and why he doesn’t see this as very viable.If you’ve already listened to the main episode, you can skip everything from about 6.48 to 23.50 and just get the stuff you missed.You can follow Bobby @realBobbyHealy on Twitter, and find out more about Manna at Manna.aero.You might also like to read this report on the drone industry in Ireland from Silicon Republic: https://www.siliconrepublic.com/machines/drone-regulation-ireland-europe-manna-delivery-zenadrone-iaa-safetyAnd vote for us in the Irish Podcast Awards here: https://www.theirishpodcastawards.ie/votingFind us @fortechssakepod on your platform of choice or let us know what you think via [email protected] hope you enjoy this discussion with Bobby Healy as much as we did, and be sure to come back next week for an all-new episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.