Trinity partners with Open Forum for AI to advance transparent and accountable AI systems

Trinity College Dublin has partnered with the Open Forum for AI (OFAI) to support responsible and human-centred artificial intelligence (AI). Launched in 2024 by Carnegie Mellon University, OFAI convenes academic institutions and non-profit organisations to foster collaboration, transparency, and inclusion in the development of AI systems.

The announcement was made at Ireland’s National Open Source Innovation Summit in Dublin recently, where Sayeed Choudhury, Executive Director of OFAI and Associate Dean for Digital Infrastructure at Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, attended and spoke at the event.

As AI becomes embedded in public services, healthcare, education and digital government systems, concerns about transparency, accountability and long-term dependency on large technology providers are increasing. Across Europe, governments are examining how to ensure that AI systems used in areas such as public administration, automated decision-support and citizen services are explainable, rigorously tested and aligned with societal values.

The OFAI fosters collaboration across academia, civil society organisations, government, and industry to build a more open and inclusive AI ecosystem. It achieves this by developing practical frameworks and technical prototypes towards the development of open technology stack for AI.  Through its membership of the OFAI, Trinity, via the Research Ireland ADAPT Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology, will contribute to the Research Working Group.

ADAPT researchers will collaborate with international members to advance an open source infrastructure stack that is transparent, accountable and participatory in practice. This includes contributing to tools and shared platforms that help organisations evaluate and explain how automated systems reach decisions, giving people clearer insight, meaningful choice, and the ability to question outcomes where appropriate.

Researchers from ADAPT and Trinity bring particular strength and expertise in standards development, AI governance, and human-centred system design, helping to ensure that openness is built into both the technology and the way it is deployed.

Professor John Kelleher, Director of ADAPT, said: “Responsible open innovation requires shared commitment across creators, deployers, researchers, and security teams. In Trinity, we champion open research and open science and aspire to democratise AI so that systems are transparent, trustworthy, and accountable. Our engagement with the Open Forum for AI strengthens Ireland’s role in shaping global conversations on open AI infrastructure and governance.”

OFAI Executive Director Sayeed Choudhury welcomed Trinity’s participation, adding: “As AI becomes infrastructure, it is essential to incorporate global perspectives. OFAI is thrilled that Trinity College Dublin is joining as a partner. They bring deep expertise in human-centred AI and the development of international standards, strengthening our international collaboration.”

The partnership reflects growing interest across Europe in digital sovereignty and agency, open innovation, and responsible AI adoption. Governments are seeking to reduce strategic technology dependencies and strengthen public sector capability in areas such as AI infrastructure and procurement. Through its engagement with OFAI, Trinity will contribute research and expertise to help shape practical, open source AI approaches that support national and European resilience and choices, while remaining globally collaborative.

See more stories here.