Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and Dublin City Council (DCC) have launched Ireland’s first Generative AI Lab; a new initiative aimed at transforming public services through artificial intelligence.
The lab, a collaboration between the ADAPT Research Centre , DCC and Trinity Business School, seeks to explore how Generative AI (Gen-AI) can improve local governance while ensuring ethical and responsible deployment.
Generative AI, a technology capable of generating text, images, and other content based on vast datasets, is expected to streamline administrative tasks and improve efficiency within Dublin’s local government.
Jamie Cudden, Smart City Program Manager at DCC, highlighted the technology’s potential: “Generative AI represents a huge opportunity for the City Council in how we deliver services, interact with the public, and future-proof our operations.”
The partnership with TCD and ADAPT will allow the city to experiment with AI-driven solutions aimed at enhancing citizen engagement and service delivery.
Professor John D. Kelleher, Director of ADAPT, emphasized the lab’s role in connecting academic research with practical applications: “The Gen-AI Lab provides a unique platform to explore how Generative AI can be responsibly applied in the public sector.”
Dr. Ashish Jha of Trinity Business School echoed this sentiment, stating: “Through this partnership with Dublin City Council, we aim to bring innovation in generative AI to broader societal stakeholders.”
“It aligns with our school’s mission of ‘Transforming Business for Good’ and enables us to work with innovative organisations like Dublin City Council to bring wider impact.”
Over the next year, the lab will host workshops, develop AI-driven prototypes for public service improvements, collaborate with city officials to identify priority areas for AI implementation, such as responding to customer service requests more effectively, providing enhanced support to councillors, and enabling more efficient analysis of data in the organization.
By working closely with the local government, the lab aims to ensure AI is implemented ethically and aligns with policy frameworks.
The launch of the Gen-AI Lab follows Trinity’s broader efforts to promote responsible AI use.
The university recently introduced guidelines on AI in education, permitting students to use AI in their essays as long as proper attribution is given.
Additionally, the AI Accountability Lab, established in 2024 and led by Dr. Abeba Birhane, advances research into AI ethics and governance.
Trinity’s Centre for Academic Practice is also actively shaping AI’s role in education, providing resources to help students and faculty navigate the evolving digital landscape.
With this initiative, Dublin seeks to position itself as a leader in AI-driven public administration.
