The hype around artificial intelligence (AI) will be challenged in real-world settings this week as more than 1,000 students bring 550 projects to the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.
A quarter of this year’s entries use or examine AI, probing the technology’s implications for a wide range of topics from the future of work and education to crop health and the properties of dark matter.
It is just one of a number of issues dominating the concerns of entrants in the exhibition which is taking place for the 62nd year.
Just over a fifth of entries are related to the environment and climate, investigating issues such as the production of biofuels from algae, spoiled milk and less polluting plastics to ways of capturing energy from data centres, busy roads and even the opening and closing of doors.
RM Block
Health is also a popular subject with projects looking at mental wellbeing, improving methods of disease detection, and new treatments for cancer and diabetes.
The entries were selected from almost 2,000 projects submitted by students and schools from all over the country.
More than 200 prizes will be awarded, with the top prize to the overall winner worth €7,500 in cash and including a trip to represent Ireland in the EU Contest for Young Scientists later this year.
A judging panel of experts from the fields of science, technology and business will begin the task of assessing the projects and interviewing the young researchers on Tuesday.
The exhibition will be officially opened on Wednesday afternoon by President Catherine Connolly and Patrick Collison, who won the competition in 2005 and went on to set up the international online payments system, Stripe, with his brother, John Collison, who was a category winner the same year.
Stripe, which has made billionaires of the brothers from Limerick, is the sponsor of this year’s competition.
Dr Tony Scott, cofounder of the exhibition, welcomed the partnership with Stripe.
“Since the beginning, our mission has been to help inquisitive young people to reach their potential,” he said.
“Having a globally successful company, founded by one of our alumni, now holding the title sponsorship is the ultimate testament to the exhibition’s enduring impact.”
[ BT pulls out of sponsorship of Young Scientist exhibitionOpens in new window ]
The exhibition is held in the RDS event centre in Dublin and is open to the public on Thursday, Friday and Saturday but tickets should be bought in advance.
Entries will be on display and there will be talks, acts and hands-on workshops combining elements of education and entertainment throughout the three days.
Many science agencies and universities will have stalls to explain their work, and the attractions include demonstrations of drone technologies, robot dogs and a quantum computer.
The winners will be announced on Friday night at a ceremony that will be livestreamed on YouTube.
