Lero, Ireland’s software research centre, is collaborating with Genesys, a global cloud leader in AI-powered Experience Orchestration, on a €600K joint research initiative to enhance the reliability and trustworthiness of AI systems used in customer engagement.
Lero Director Professor Lionel Briand of the University of Limerick explains that increasingly, customer care software relies on AI, specifically Large Language Models (LLMs), to power virtual agents’ interactions with consumers and support human agents in handling interactions.
“AI can deliver faster, more informed responses and support better customer experiences,” he said. “However, like any complex system, they can present challenges related to contextual accuracy and operational oversight. This project focuses on developing methods to strengthen safeguards and improve overall system dependability.”
“Our goal is to enhance the scalability and real-time performance of safeguards such as input filtering and output moderation to ensure high standards of accuracy, efficiency and safety in LLM-based systems,” Professor Briand explained.
The collaboration will help Genesys advance the principles of ethical AI, including accountability, transparency, and fairness, by providing innovative approaches to monitoring and improving AI behaviour in real-world environments. “Trust is foundational for AI adoption,” said Joe Smyth, Senior Vice President of Research and Development, Digital and AI at Genesys, and leader of its R&D Centre in Galway. “Through this collaboration with Lero, we aim to further strengthen the traceability and accountability of AI systems to advance their responsible use in orchestrating increasingly complex customer experience applications.”