A decade of data: Exploring the journey of Big Data Belfast with EY roundtable event

 

 

That’s one of the key messages from the Data Roundtable, held in line with Big Data Belfast 2024 which celebrated its 10th anniversary this October.  

 

Organised by Analytics Engines, Big Data Belfast 2024 was proudly supported by headline sponsor EY, who recently hosted the Big Data Roundtable at their Bedford House-based city centre office location in Belfast. 

 

Representatives from leading companies were in attendance, including: Laura Haldane, Co-Founder of SciLeads and previous employee at Analytics Engines where Big Data Belfast was founded; Marianna Imprialou, Director of Data, Analytics and AI at EY; Alastair Allen, Partner and Head of Healthcare at EY; Naoimh Ledwith, Data Science and Presales Consultant at Analytics Engines; Alex Brownrigg, Senior Manager specialising in Programme and Project Delivery within healthcare at EY; Michaela Fox, Technology Transfer and Industry Partnerships at Momentum One Zero, Queen’s University Belfast; and Tim Cush, Partner and Head of Intelligent Automation and AI at EY. 

 

 

This year’s Big Data Belfast conference focused on how data and AI can address critical challenges in sectors including technology; sustainability; healthcare; agri-foods and more. The roundtable discussion therefore addressed how organisations are increasingly leveraging data to drive innovation and to help solve complex problems.  

 

Rather than being afraid of AI, the popular consensus is that we should embrace it, not only in the workplace where it can remove repetitive administrative work to free up time and allow employees to upskill, but also within one’s everyday life. With many everyday tasks - from shopping reminders, to unlocking your phone using facial recognition - only possible due to the power of data and AI, it seems even those most fearful of its impact it may have do not realise the extent to which it already enhances our everyday lives. 

 

This year’s conference marked 10 years of Big Data Belfast, therefore an emerging point of discussion is how much the technology sector, and the conference itself, has evolved throughout the past decade. Big Data Belfast is now attended by a wider variety of companies - rather than only those who consider themselves to be Big Data specialists.  

 

“When Big Data Belfast first launched it was largely attended by companies who considered themselves exclusively a Big Data company, whereas now it is normalised that every company is a data company,” Laura Haldane, SciLeads Co-Founder comments.  

 

The past decade has seen many different sectors begin to embrace AI, as sectors outside of technology and ICT begin to better understand the value of data and how it can enhance their business.

 

"For example, in agri-food we are seeing a sector which traditionally did not adopt digital technologies begin to see the value in data and how we can leverage AI for greater insights and intelligence to subsequently improve the productivity, sustainability and integrity of our production and supply chains,” comments Michaela Fox, Technology Transfer and Industry Partnerships at Momentum One Zero, Queen’s University Belfast. 

 

For Marianna Imprialou, Director of Data, Analytics and AI at EY, the power of data is more readily understood now. “The power of data and some of the core techniques of how to maximise its value has become a staple for all companies of all sizes now.” Instead of explaining to external stakeholders why data is vital, it is now a question of how to maximize, improve and optimise results using data. “This is a key differentiator from where we were a decade ago,” Marianna explains. 

 

 

For Tim Cush, Partner and Head of Intelligent Automation and AI at EY, throughout the past decade a significant trend has been growing recognition among organisations of the value of treating data as a crucial asset. “Data is something that should be maintained, invested into and used to drive insights into key trends,” Tim comments.

 

“Further to this, data can be employed as a mechanism to improve sales, cost optimisation and efficiency throughout the organization.” 

 

Data has snowballed in healthcare throughout the past decade, with free-flowing data across Northern Ireland set to become more beneficial for clinicians and their patients with the introduction of new digital patient records system, Encompass. Alex Brownrigg, Senior Manager specialising in Programme and Project Delivery within healthcare at EY, emphasises that whilst the health sector has always been data driven, it is hoped the introduction of Encompass in Northern Ireland will bring swathes of related data to help inform population health.  

 

Alex comments: “Encompass provides in-depth and readily available medical information which frees up time for our clinicians to spend more time with their patients. Data is being brought together to improve patient health, patient journeys, and patient well-being as well as workflow for staff. Encompass has been revolutionary in how it will follow a patient’s journey as they move through the health service.” 

 

Naoimh Ledwith, Analytics Engines, reports that people are becoming less afraid of AI as they begin to understand its value.

“Now that companies are beginning to collect more data, less people are cautious about using it, especially AI” Naoimh comments. 

 

Whilst falling foul of GDPR regulations and proper disposal of data are two potential setbacks, particularly within the healthcare sector, when it comes to public health there is a duty to share data, explains Alex. With the Big Data Belfast conference designed with the objective of educating, informing and inspiring, Naoimh emphasises how vital education is when it comes to enlightening those who are fearful of AI and how their data is being used.  

 

Big Data Belfast is an opportunity for AI professionals to remind those cautious of AI that the systems in place are well protected, and allows the opportunity to inform people of the substantial value which comes from data and AI in terms of what can be provided and improved upon in a customer journey. Areas from healthcare to helping local communities can all be improved through AI and technology, which is why it is vital people are kept informed about exactly what AI is and how it can help improve lives, Laura explains.  

 

 

It is paramount to highlight that AI is not being implemented in order to replace people. Rather, it is about helping to free up highly skilled employees’ time in order to maximise their skillset and knowledge by working on the most important tasks. “By taking away some of the repetitive, administrative work, the employees spend more time doing bigger and better projects. It is about improving the quality of your life - not replacing you,” comments Naoimh. 

 

Alastair Allen, Partner and Head of Healthcare at EY, agrees from a healthcare perspective, the focus of AI is in relieving the huge administrative burden on clinicians and operational staff in order to allow healthcare professionals to be more effective and deliver better patient outcomes. “Being able to learn through way of example how other companies and healthcare providers are seeing the benefits of using data is hugely beneficial. There is an opportunity to educate and inspire which is particularly important now as we commence our journey with Encompass in Northern Ireland. We possess the digital foundations for the next generation in Northern Ireland and questions around how we use that data are really important. The opportunity exists to truly take healthcare forward through data.” 

 

 

As an industry-insider, Tim Cush explains how beneficial the Big Data Belfast conference has become in terms of keeping up with emerging technologies. Tim comments: “Technology is moving at such a rapid pace, it is evolving on an almost daily basis. With such exciting new technologies and advancements emerging every day, Big Data Belfast provides an opportunity for us to learn and bring helpful knowledge back to our organisations and our clients.” 

 

For Michaela, the conference represents the opportunity to connect specialists in their field with technology experts in order to solve problems through creative solutions. “For the agri-food industry, Big Data Belfast is an opportunity to connect with a tech expert in order to solve a problem which otherwise, might not have ever been thought of. The conference has been an opportunity for experts in their field who can identify the challenges in their sector to connect with technologists who can solve those issues. It is about creating multidisciplinary, collaborative teams so tech can be applied in different sectors,” Michaela comments.  

 

The value of networking in conferences is vital in order to build the right network of people that will make a difference to your business’s approach to data. Big Data Belfast is structured in a way which showcases a wide variety of experts and examples, with an agenda allowing for space and time to network with representatives throughout the day. Getting the technology experts in the room with the subject matter experts is the key to success and was one of the many highlights of 2024. “This is when the exciting conversations happen and you start to see how AI solves problems you wouldn't even know existed,” comments Naoimh. 

 

 

Big Data Belfast showcases an impressive line-up of high profile speakers and delegates from around the world. For Tim Cush, the attraction to Northern Ireland, both in terms of attending the conference and setting up business here, is due to the ecosystem, investment and sense of innovation in Belfast. “The appeal of Belfast for global companies is understandable. They are drawn to the level of innovation and talent from a recruitment perspective. With the talent that comes through from the two main universities and from the higher education campuses, it is an incredible opportunity to be able to capitalize on this tech talent."  

 

Alastair Allen agrees the talent level in Northern Ireland is a key point of appeal for global technology companies. Whereas previously, this talent was emerging at university level, it is positive to see the emerging initiatives with children in school such as coding academies and hackathon bootcamps. Alistair comments: “There is a real culture now that goes all the way through education from university through to primary schools at a grassroots level, creating fantastic knowledge and interest in technology from an early age. For people working in an international company, Big Data Belfast offers a network of people to reach out to and be a part of.”  

 

 

On whether AI will continue to dominate the narrative, Alastair asserts there is a growing shift towards domain-specific applications of ‘Big Data’ and AI. This means that instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, industries like healthcare and agriculture are focusing on how these technologies can solve specific problems within their fields. In healthcare, for example, the emphasis is on adopting ‘Big Data’ and AI safely and effectively, with a shift towards using smaller, more specialised language models that integrate closely with medical records and trusted platforms. This specialisation is expected to become more prevalent, moving away from the generic concept of ‘Big Data’ to more tailored solutions. 

 

 

Building on this, for Michaela Fox it is a particularly exciting time to be involved in ‘Big Data’ which offers an opportunity to deploy the technologies into different domains. Specifically, through the Belfast City Deal they have been able to utilize investments to help support companies access the expertise within Belfast’s universities to truly embed those technologies into their products and services and help them become more competitive and grow. “It is an exciting time, with ample opportunities for companies within agri-food to harness technology and reap the benefits,” Michaela comments.  

 

More needs to be done within the next decade to help demystify AI, Marianna asserts, explaining that both fear and uncertainty around ‘Big Data’ is still prevalent. “I hope it becomes normality for optimising processes across all sectors,” Marianna comments.  

For Laura Haldane, Co-Founder of SciLeads, who works with biotech and pharma companies primarily in the US, AI is now very much part of daily life within both a work capacity and home-life. AI is incorporated into all of SciLeads tooling, from GPT, HubSpot and more, making ‘Big Data’ more accessible as a non-technical employee. Its usage is also strongly encouraged, with employees reminded in regular Town Halls of the various helpful ways it can be implemented as part of everyday work life.  

 

AI will be everywhere, with it no longer being a selling factor in itself. AI’s inclusion will be expected, and people will become more discerning in how AI is used. This is in contrast to how AI has been used even five years ago, when it was used as a buzzword in itself to help sell a product. “Five years ago when selling AI based tools, AI was the keyword. We are past this stage now, it is assumed AI will be featured. Now we need to know what type of AI, how it is used and if it can improve lives,” Naoimh Ledwith, Data Science and Presales Consultant at Analytics Engines comments. 

 

The evolution of AI through the likes of Generative AI, ChatGPT, OpenAI, CoPilot and more has made it a lot more accessible, but the one common denominator that will always remain at the centre is data. This means the quality of the data will become particularly important once the playing field becomes levelled. “Over the next number of years, it looks likely that AI will become the norm, but we will start to see particularly innovative and exciting new features and different ways of how we can use data and interpret data,” Tim Cush comments. 

 

 

When it comes to AI, most of us are already reaping the benefits without even realising. It is behind much of the technology which forms part of our daily lives. But when it comes to healthcare, Alex asserts it is a case of getting the data to the right place in order to act on the information: “Healthcare can certainly leverage AI and data to help people live healthier lives. The data is there- but it needs to be harnessed.”  

 

Data will be key in transforming healthcare from a reactive state to one of acting in a proactive manner, agrees Alistair. “There is a growing chasm in healthcare in terms of workforce shortage and increased demand, which is getting bigger every day. Change is needed and data can help in both of those areas,” Alastair Allen comments. 

 

The impact for AI is not singular: “We can't even begin to understand the positive impact AI is going to have because it is already in everything that we do – and I think we will be surprised at where it is going to get,” concludes Naoimh.