AI can already create near-perfect replicas of passports, utility bills and other identity documents — good enough to bypass many existing checks.

In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Dr Hitesh Tewari, Professor at Trinity College Dublin and researcher at the ADAPT Centre, about what this means for public services that rely on digital identity, from welfare and healthcare to licensing and payments.

They explore:

• Why traditional KYC approaches are no longer sufficient
• How fraud becomes dangerous when it becomes scalable
• How zero-knowledge proof can allow verification without over-sharing data
• How blockchain can support trust, not speculation
• Lessons from real-world projects in energy, voting and healthcare data

A practical, risk-focused conversation for those responsible for digital public services.

• 01:25 – AI-generated identity documents and KYC risk
• 06:30 – Why scalable fraud changes everything
• 10:45 – What blockchain is (and is not) for government
• 13:50 – Zero-knowledge proof explained simply
• 19:40 – Tackling greenwashing with better energy attribution
• 22:15 – Healthcare data, silos and trust
• 25:50 – What’s coming next: opportunities and risks

Digital identity, AI fraud, KYC, public sector technology, digital government, blockchain, zero-knowledge proof, cybersecurity, trust in government, ADAPT Centre, Trinity College Dublin

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Digital services only work if everyone can use them.

In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Donal Fitzpatrick and Shivaali Scully from the National Disability Authority about accessibility, universal design and the fast-emerging role of AI in public services.

They explore if AI can remove barriers for people with disabilities, where serious risks around bias and privacy remain, and why involving users early in design is the single most important factor in getting digital services right.

The conversation ranges from real-world examples of AI supporting accessibility, to the impact of the European Accessibility Act, and why Ireland is emerging as a global leader in universal design.

This is a must-listen for anyone designing, commissioning or delivering digital services in the public or private sector.

• 00:00 – Why accessibility is central to digital government
• 03:00 – AI and accessibility: opportunity versus risk
• 06:30 – Why user voices must shape design from day one
• 09:30 – Privacy, bias and the limits of AI
• 17:00 – European Accessibility Act explained
• 23:00 – Ireland’s leadership in universal design
• 34:00 – The Universal Design Grand Challenge and future talent

Accessibility, Universal Design, AI in Government, Digital Public Services, Inclusion, European Accessibility Act, Public Sector Innovation, Transform Gov

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a frank conversation about pace, legislation, risk culture, and delivery at scale — and why digital reform will stall unless governments change how decisions are made, not just what they build.

Part 2 of Transform Gov, Dr Tony Shannon, Head of Digital Services at Ireland’s Office of the Government CIO. This interview goes beyond strategy and confronts the real constraints holding back public-sector transformation.

Tony explains why:

• the machinery of government is not yet fit for the digital age
• legislation itself must become “digital-ready”
• life-event based services require cross-government ownership
• Ireland has a unique opportunity to lead between EU regulation and US innovation

This episode will resonate with anyone responsible for delivery, governance, funding, architecture, or reform in the public sector.

Part 2 of 2

Presented by Maeve Kneafsey

Transform Gov – part of the Ireland eGovernment Awards, in partnership with Accenture

• 01:45 – Why 2030 is the end of the digital decade, not the start
• 04:30 – Life events, building blocks and shared ownership
• 07:00 – Digital public infrastructure explained
• 11:25 – Ireland’s position between EU regulation and US innovation
• 17:00 – Why the machinery of government is not yet fit for the digital age
• 18:30 – The case for digital-ready legislation

Key subjects: public sector digital transformation, government CIO, digital government Ireland, life events strategy, digital public infrastructure, govtech, public service reform, digital legislation, OGCIO, Transform Gov podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Tony Shannon, Head of Digital Services in Ireland’s Office of the Government CIO, shares his remarkable journey from emergency medicine to the front line of digital government.

He shares why healthcare’s chaos taught him how to fix complex systems, how the NHS’s multi-billion-pound IT failure shaped his thinking, and why now—in his words—“is a moment that matters and a decade that matters.”

Expect insight, urgency and practical lessons for anyone who believes public services can, and must, work better for people and planet.

Part 1 of 2.

Listen for:

• How a doctor’s pattern-recognition mindset applies to digital reform
• What went wrong with the NHS national IT programme
• The three-way equation of People + Process + Technology
• Why the pandemic briefly showed how agile government can be
• Why risk-aversion, if left unchallenged, will cost us all

Digital transformation, public sector innovation, Ireland eGovernment, Tony Shannon, OGCIO, Maeve Kneafsey, healthcare informatics, open source, agile delivery, leadership, government reform, risk culture, digital public services, data, AI in government, life-event strategy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do great ideas in healthcare move from pilot projects to everyday practice?

In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey talks with Louise (Lou) O’Hare, Assistant National Director at the Sláintecare Transformation and Innovation Office, about how the Sláintecare Integration Innovation Fund (SIF) is creating a clear pathway for innovation across Ireland’s health system.

Lou shares how the new Health Innovation Framework will ensure promising solutions — from clinician-led ideas to community telehealth — can move from proof of concept to full rollout, with proper governance, funding, and scaling support.

We hear the story behind the Healthy Islands Project, how AI and innovation hubs are shaping the future of care, and what’s next for collaboration between Spark, HSE innovators, and digital health leaders.

Sláintecare, HSE innovation, healthcare transformation Ireland, digital health, health technology, Spark Fund, SIF, health innovation framework, healthcare governance, telehealth, clinician innovation, HSE leadership, healthcare transformation podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Maeve Kneafsey talks with Paula Lyons, Ass. Secretary and Head of Service Development at the Department of Social Protection, about how her team is redesigning services around life events like having a child, retirement, or bereavement.

They discuss:

• Why DSP’s philosophy is “digital by desire”, not by force
• How citizen trust and data sharing are unlocking connected services
• The next generation of online welfare and pension services

A must-listen for anyone shaping digital government and citizen-first transformation.

Subscribe now for personal email updates www.digitalgovawards.com

01:05 – What motivates Paula to stay in public service

10:00 – How “Digital by Desire” became DSP’s guiding principle

24:05 – Designing services around real life events

29:30 – AI pilots and the future of digital service delivery

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland is preparing radical moves to accelerate housing delivery. But what if the real breakthrough doesn’t come from policy — but from technology?

In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey meets Gavin Duffy, Founder & CEO of RealSim, the Irish company building ultra-accurate 3D digital twins of real towns, cities, and infrastructure.

Gavin explains how immersive planning tools can speed up decisions, reduce objections, and help councils and agencies build better homes and infrastructure, faster.

From Jersey to Fingal and Balbriggan, this is a masterclass in practical digital transformation for public planning and housing delivery.

Digital twin Ireland, housing emergency Ireland, planning reform Ireland, public-sector innovation, RealSim, Gavin Duffy, Maeve Kneafsey, Transform Gov, Fingal County Council, Balbriggan regeneration, Jersey planning model, e-planning Ireland, 3D planning tools, Irish housing delivery, local authority innovation.

00:00 – Why Ireland’s housing emergency needs new tools

04:30 – What RealSim actually does in plain English

08:10 – Lessons from Jersey’s planning transformation

14:00 – Why Irish planning is still PDF-first

18:40 – Balbriggan case study

25:00 – How digital twins reduce objections

30:40 – What councils need to adopt digital twins

35:30 – The future: national digital twin for Ireland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Childhood movement skills — hopping, skipping, throwing, catching — have collapsed globally. But one Irish spin-out is changing that story.

Dr Jamie McGann, co-founder of MoveAhead, joins Maeve Kneafsey on Transform Gov to reveal how his Dublin-based team built the world’s largest dataset of children’s movement, and how it’s now driving apps, curricula, and classrooms from Ireland to China.

In this award-winning collaboration with Smart D8, MoveAhead helps teachers objectively assess movement, personalise PE through AI, and bring physical literacy back into the heart of education.

Learn how Irish innovation can tackle one of the biggest health and education challenges of our time.

Listen, share, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts — or watch on YouTube UC8jdqo_NbX6BHmkTynUdWJw.

Kinder Joy of Moving, Kinder App, Smart D8, Dublin City University, DCU, Sport Ireland, NCCA, Irish EdTech, Global Child Health, Movement Skills, AI in Education

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.