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PODCAST

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast

Transform Gov, the digital government podcast, brings you top names behind many of the most exciting and transformative digital government projects globally. If you are working in, or with, publicsector transformers who aredigitising the public sector, each episode brings inside tips and insights from talented leaders who have been there and done that.www.digitalgovawards.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

government

All Episodes

21:40

Why you keep filling out the same forms — and why...

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2026/04/16

Digital identity is often talked about — but rarely understood in practical terms.In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Marie Wallace, Managing Director and Global Lead for Digital Identities at Accenture, about what is broken in how we prove who we are today — and what is changing.From repeatedly filling out forms to sharing far more personal data than necessary, Marie explains why current identity systems are no longer fit for purpose — and how digital wallets and selective

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32:11

What if the biggest risk facing the public service...

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2026/04/09

In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey sits down with Malcolm Byrne TD, Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence, to unpack what has actually changed — and why the pace of change is now the real issue.From courts using AI for real-time translation… to Revenue analysing thousands of tax codes… to the uncomfortable truth that other countries are already moving faster — this is not a future conversation. It’s happening now.And the question is simple: are we ready? Hosted

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36:36

How smart public services are winning back users —...

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2026/04/01

COVID changed how people engage with online services — permanently.The organisations that adapted are now seeing better engagement, better access, better outcomes.The rest are still catching up.In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Aoife Prendergast of Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), whose team won the Universal Design category at the Ireland eGovernment Awards 2025.What they discovered is something every CIO, digital leader, and public service provider needs to

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34:46

The system that was failing vulnerable children — and...

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2026/03/24

This is not a tech story.This is a human story.Before this system existed, vulnerable children could wait weeks for access to childcare — stuck in a maze of emails, forms, and approvals.Now? Minutes.On this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Ruth Shortall (POBAL) and Ciarán Madden (Department of Children) about the system that:Cut waiting times from 3 weeks to minutesConnected multiple agencies into one seamless flowRemoved friction for frontline workers under pressureAnd quietly

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34:37

What smart cities know about you before you do |...

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2026/03/13

What if a city already knew your child was starting school — and simply sent you a text asking if you agreed with the proposed school?That already happens in Helsinki.In this episode of Transform Gov, infrastructure expert Alice Charles from Arup explains how some cities are using data, digital twins and AI to plan transport, housing and infrastructure far more intelligently.You will hear:How Helsinki predicts school demand using dataWhy digital twins allow cities to test developments instantlyWhy

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31:00

The AI race is really an energy and water race

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2026/03/06

AI may dominate the headlines — but the real race is happening somewhere else.Energy. Water. Data infrastructure.On this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Alice Charles, Director at Arup and former World Economic Forum infrastructure lead, about the global competition shaping the future of cities, economies and governments.Alice explains why the AI boom is triggering what some leaders are calling the largest infrastructure build-out in history.And why the foundations of AI are not

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34:30

Inside Dublin City Council’s AI Lab

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2026/02/20

What does AI actually look like inside a local authority?In this episode of Transform Gov, Dublin City Council’s AI Lab team — Khizer Ahmed Biyabani and Richie Shakespeare — explain how they are moving beyond AI hype to deliver practical tools that improve consistency, save time and build trust.From preventing contradictory council answers to searching decades of records in seconds, they share what works, what doesn’t, and why 80% of AI success comes down to data.Why ListenHow AI prevents

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27:53

Quantum computing could upend how governments plan,...

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2026/02/12

Quantum computing is often described as “next-generation” technology — but according to Equal1 CEO Jason Lynch, it’s much closer, more practical, and more relevant to government than most people realise.In this episode of Transform Gov, Jason explains quantum computing in plain English, why it follows AI rather than replaces it, and how it could transform public services — from climate modelling and flooding prediction to healthcare, logistics and national infrastructure planning.We also explore why

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27:19

Why telling people what to do doesn’t work

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2026/02/04

What if improving health didn’t start with another campaign telling people what to do?In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Stephen McPeake, founder of Civic Dollars, about a practical, community-led way councils and health bodies are encouraging healthier behaviour — and actually seeing results.Stephen explains why incentives often work better than awareness campaigns, why people push back when they’re told what to do, and how councils and health bodies are using Civic

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30:53

AI can now fake identity

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2026/01/26

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 sufficientHow fraud

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37:43

How to design digital government for everyone

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2026/01/16

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

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21:28

Is government structurally ready for the digital age?...

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2026/01/07

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

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26:14

The doctor helping to rewire how Ireland delivers...

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2025/12/17

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

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37:29

From endless pilots to real progress

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2025/12/10

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

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41:11

Joined-up by design: How Ireland’s largest dept. is...

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2025/12/02

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 forceHow citizen trust and data sharing are unlocking connected servicesThe next generation of online welfare and pension servicesA must-listen for anyone shaping digital government and

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35:16

How digital twins could solve Ireland’s housing...

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2025/11/21

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,

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34:08

Why kids can't skip skipping

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2025/11/11

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,

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34:25

When AI starts to act: Alan Smeaton on the future of...

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2025/10/30

Can AI make decisions, not just suggestions? Professor Alan Smeaton — DCU researcher, Government AI Advisory Council member and builder of Ireland’s first AI teaching assistant — explains what agentic AI really means and why Estonia is blazing ahead and already using it in classrooms. He tells host Maeve Kneafsey why Ireland can’t afford to wait, how data can save citizens money, and why AI literacy must become a national skill and future economic stability and growth.[00:00] When AI starts to

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24:13

A new Golden Age of Infrastructure: Huda As’ad on...

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2025/10/22

From leading roles in the London 2012 Olympics to advising governments on next-generation infrastructure, Huda As’ad of Accenture believes we’re entering a new golden age — where AI, data, and digital twins redefine how nations build, maintain, and sustain public infrastructure.In this episode of Transform Gov, she explains how technology can cut waste, enhance safety, and build public trust in delivery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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27:13

How predictive tech is cutting public infrastructure...

Transform Gov - the digital government podcast ·

2025/10/15

From the London Olympics to Ireland’s National Development Plan — Huda As’ad, Managing Director for Capital Projects & Infrastructure at Accenture, shares how data, AI, and digital twins are reshaping how nations build and maintain public assets.Learn how predictive analytics is saving 25% on maintenance costs, how transparency builds trust, and why “fail fast, learn fast” is the new rule for public projects that deliver real outcomes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more

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67 results

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