Irish-led research to boost trust and reliability in AI-powered customer software

Lero, Ireland’s national software research centre, has announced a €550,000 collaboration with global cloud leader Genesys to improve the reliability and trustworthiness of artificial intelligence systems used in customer-facing software. The joint initiative aims to address a growing challenge for businesses that increasingly depend on AI to power customer engagement and virtual assistance platforms.

Led by Professor Lionel Briand at the University of Limerick, the project will focus on developing scalable, real-time safeguards such as input filtering and output moderation for large language model (LLM)-based systems. “AI can deliver faster, more informed responses, but these complex systems can face challenges with contextual accuracy and operational oversight,” Professor Briand said. “Our goal is to enhance dependability, ensuring high standards of accuracy, efficiency, and safety.”

The partnership will also advance ethical AI principles, including accountability, transparency, and fairness, through the creation of innovative monitoring and validation techniques for AI behaviour in real-world environments. These advancements aim to improve not only the technical robustness of AI but also the confidence businesses and consumers have in its outputs.

Joe Smyth, Senior Vice President of Research and Development, Digital and AI at Genesys, and head of the company’s Galway R&D Centre, said: “Trust is foundational for AI adoption. This collaboration will strengthen the traceability and accountability of AI systems, supporting their responsible deployment in increasingly complex customer experience applications.”

By combining Lero’s academic expertise with Genesys’s industry leadership, the project reinforces Ireland’s growing role as a European hub for ethical and dependable AI innovation.

Explore how this partnership is shaping the next generation of trustworthy AI systems, read the full article.