ADAPT and Dublin City Council were shortlisted for the Best Digital Transformation — Public Sector category at the Digital Transformation & AI Awards 2025, put forward last year for a partnership that established Ireland's first Generative AI Lab for local government, embedding AI expertise within DCC to develop prototypes, upskill staff, and shape a coherent internal strategy for the responsible use of generative AI across council functions.

The Lab was developed on the principle that genuine public sector transformation requires capability built from within rather than solutions imported from outside. By placing ADAPT's research expertise inside DCC's operational structure, the partnership created the conditions for human-centred AI development that remained accountable to the citizens the council serves.

The Best Digital Transformation — Public Sector category assessed entries on strategic clarity, implementation quality, and outcomes delivered for the organisation and the public it serves. 

Judges also examined the steps taken to change established ways of working, the board-level commitment behind the strategy, and the measurable impact the transformation produced across the organisation's projects and initiatives over the preceding 18 months. 

The GenAI Lab's approach, grounding innovation in ethics and staff development from the outset, gave the judging panel a clear and evidenced case for meaningful, sustainable transformation.

The Digital Transformation & AI Awards recognises organisations driving evidence-based digital change across Irish enterprise and public life. The inclusion of ADAPT and Dublin City Council on the shortlist placed them among the cohort the judging panel identified as setting a credible standard for responsible AI-led transformation in Ireland's public sector.

For more information on finalists, past winners, and judging insights, visit the official Digital Transformation & AI Awards website.