KPMG’s EU AI Hub opens in Dublin

KPMG recently launched its new EU AI Hub to support clients with optimising new artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and to navigate incoming regulation in the EU and globally, specifically the landmark EU AI Act. Located in the firm’s Platform X Global Innovation Hub in Dublin’s IFSC, the hub will redefine how AI technologies are deployed and managed for clients and sees the creation of 200 jobs in the next three years in AI and related areas including risk, regulatory services and cybersecurity.

Commenting on the benefits the hub will deliver to clients, Sean Redmond, KPMG’s EU AI Hub director says that many businesses are struggling to make decisions on where to start with AI and how to deploy it safely. “The hub is the place for clients to ideate, innovate and solve these challenges.”

KPMG’s trusted responsible AI framework

Supported by Microsoft and leading AI security and trust software firm Cranium, the EU AI Hub is designed to provide KPMG clients with access to world-leading tools and insights to navigate the complexities of AI implementation including the impending EU AI Act. The EU AI Hub combines KPMG’s Trusted Responsible AI framework and comprehensive capabilities ranging from strategy, transformation, technology, data sciences and assurance; along with the Cranium enterprise software platform built to drive security, trust, and compliance across AI systems, and Microsoft’s pioneering AI technologies.

Speaking at the launch of the hub, Minister of State Neale Richmond said: “I am delighted to be attending the launch of KPMG’s new EU AI Hub. AI presents an opportunity, and a challenge, for many Irish businesses and KPMG’s Hub will help them to navigate the world of AI, and the regulation that comes with it.

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“KPMG’s EU AI Hub will lead to the creation of 200 jobs over the next three years, underpinning both KPMG’s commitment to Ireland but also the role that AI will have for Irish businesses in the coming years. Through our strategy ‘AI – Here for Good’, Ireland aims to be an international leader in the AI space, with a people-focused and ethical approach and KPMG’s EU AI Hub will help us to reach this goal.”

Delivering on Ireland’s AI potential

Gillian Kelly, head of consulting, KPMG in Ireland, emphasised the advantages for businesses through the collaboration between KPMG, Cranium and Microsoft. “The hub is underpinned by our Trusted AI framework and supported by cutting-edge technology from Microsoft and Cranium. KPMG’s commitment to Dublin and the creation of new jobs underscores our belief in Ireland’s potential as a place for innovation, technology, and collaboration. We look forward to contributing to the vibrant tech ecosystem and supporting our clients on their AI journey.”

Redmond strongly emphasises the important role the EU AI Hub will play as the EU AI Act is rolled out across member states. “With the EU AI Hub, businesses and organisations can prepare for the EU AI Act through a simplified streamlined approach which assesses the organisation’s current readiness, as well as level of maturity and policies or controls in place, before equipping them with the right AI tools to ensure their initiatives align with evolving legislation requirements and broader responsible and ethical considerations.”

He continued: “The EU AI Hub brings together top minds and technology in a collaborative environment and is uniquely positioned to support businesses in optimising AI solutions in a secure, compliant way that can be trusted.

“Understanding that responsible AI is not only a business issue but also a regulatory and technical challenge, we’re committed to helping clients put into practice end-to-end responsible and regulatory compliant AI programmes. It’s also important that organisations don’t see the impending EU AI Act as a blocker to innovation and ideation, but instead it provides the guardrails that enables organisations to experiment with AI and deliver value to their businesses and customers in a safe, secure, trusted and compliant manner.”

Jonathan Dambrot, chief executive of Cranium said: “As enterprises journey through the hub, Cranium, from a technical perspective, captures the technical components of AI models, runs risk reports, and does gap analysis against the EU AI Act and other international AI frameworks. Joining forces with KPMG and Microsoft, we’re demonstrating that organisations are backed by the confidence and maturity to achieve EU AI Act readiness.”

Dani Michaux, KPMG’s EMEA head of cyber security added: “The complexity of cybersecurity challenges in relation to trusted AI has just begun and will continue to evolve. We are delighted to collaborate with Cranium and Microsoft in navigating these challenges and evolve the dialogue and understanding of what’s ahead of us. Upskilling, collaboration, leadership and knowledge exchange will be key features of the hub. We are all excited and looking forward to contributing to the further developments of AI journeys with our clients.”

AI risks and challenges

At the launch, KPMG’s Sean Redmond also explored the opportunities, risk and challenges of AI in a wide-ranging panel discussion with AI experts. Kieran McCorry, national technology officer and head of responsible AI at Microsoft Ireland, noted the confluence of organisations moving to implement AI with the advent of regulation in the space. “A colleague of mine is very fond of the expression, ‘2023 was the year of wow and 2024 is the year of how?” he said.

Large enterprises see literally hundreds of use cases for AI and want to know how to safely develop them at speed, said Jonathan Dambrot, chief executive and co-founder of Cranium, a specialist software spin-out from KPMG. “The challenge we face right now, especially with generative AI, is that there is just so much experimentation happening,” he said.

Meanwhile Roland Cloutier, former global chief security officer at TikTok and ByteDance, framed the status of AI succinctly: “You can’t turn it off, it’s part of your embedded IT ecosystem already.” He urged organisations to proactively support the development of new AI capabilities and processes, rather than spending time and money on preventive measures when it is too late.

Even organisations that don’t knowingly use AI need to recognise that their third-party systems probably do, noted Redmond. McCorry raised the spectre of “shadow AI”, where AI is being used in organisations with no AI policies and even where it is banned. Fellow panellist Paul Browne, AI lead at Enterprise Ireland, agreed: “If anyone in the room thinks that colleagues aren’t using AI, you’re being naive. People are using it. If you haven’t thought about it already, you need to.”

KPMG’s global head of AI David Rowlands concluded: “People are excited about what AI can do for them but they are also anxious about what it might do to them. There is a trust equation between organisations and their people that needs to be thought through. That’s why I’m so excited about the EU AI Hub, because this is where it all comes together, to break down and solve all of those problems.”

At KPMG we understand businesses are eager to embrace AI and capitalise on the benefits it can bring, but there is hesitancy around what complexity and technical regulatory legislation, security risks, trust and broader people/change/culture shift as people learn to work with AI and how will help them in their day-to-day work.

To find out more about how KPMG perspectives and fresh thinking can help your business see kpmg.ie