Friday 1 May 2026

University of Galway will host the 2026 AtlanTec Conference, exploring how artificial intelligence can be developed and deployed with a renewed focus on human values.

Influential thinkers on technology and society

This year’s theme is Intelligence 'Augmented – the Frontier of Human Judgement' and features influential thinkers on technology and society, including entrepreneur Mark Little, the founder of Storyful and co-founder of Kinzen.

The AtlanTec Conference takes place on Thursday, May 14, at University of Galway as part of the 12th AtlanTec Festival. 

Tabitha Day of Channelscaler with the 2025 AtlanTec Conference mascot Scratch from University of Galway’s School of Computer Science. Photo: XPOSURE.

The conference is set to attract more than 400 delegates, including international speakers and representatives from leading technology companies in the region and beyond, and aligns closely with the university’s research strengths in data, AI, and responsible innovation.

President of University of Galway, Professor David Burn, said: “The AtlanTec Conference reflects the University’s commitment to advancing responsible, human-centred AI. We look forward to welcoming our partners and the technology community to campus for this annual event. This year’s conference aligns strongly with our Transformative Data and AI research pillar, where responsible innovation is central to ensuring technology delivers meaningful benefits to society.”

The AtlanTec Festival, which celebrates innovation and technology in the west of Ireland, is organised by itag (Innovation Technology AtlanTec Gateway). The conference is brought to campus through the support of the University’s Innovation Office, in partnership with the School of Computer Science and an extensive number of industry partners.

Headlining the conference are:

• Mark Little, founder of Storyful and co-founder of Kinzen, will share insights drawn from his career at the intersection of media, technology, and democracy. A former RTÉ foreign correspondent and presenter, he has been at the forefront of efforts to address misinformation and build trusted digital information systems;
• Dr Lollie Mancey, programme director at the UCD Innovation Academy. Known for her engaging and thought-provoking contributions across media and public discourse, Dr Mancey’s work focuses on the ethical and emotional dimensions of emerging technologies, including the evolving relationship between humans and AI systems;
• Professor Paul Buitelaar, deputy director of the Data Science Institute at the University of Galway, will deliver a keynote address titled, Neuro-Symbolic AI: A New Direction for AI Development and Deployment.

The 2026 AtlanTec Conference brings together leading voices from industry, academia, and the public sector, with participation from organisations including Medtronic, Fidelity, Genesys, Datavant and University of Galway spin-out Senus, alongside a broad range of innovators and practitioners across Ireland’s technology ecosystem.

Sharon Walsh, senior vice-president, Fidelity Investments and Chair of itag, said: “The conference comes at a pivotal moment for the industry. We are at a tipping point. As we move further into an AI-accelerated world, the perspectives of thinkers like Mark and Lollie are essential. This year’s conference at University of Galway is about ensuring technology is developed in a way that serves humanity, not the other way around.”

The event will include the official announcement of the winners of the festival’s AtlanTec AI Challenge.

The University of Galway Innovation Office is supported under the KT Boost Programme co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-2027.

Tickets for the AtlanTec Conference are available on Eventbrite.