11 December 2025
UCD is Ireland’s leader in AI and computational sciences, at the spearhead of national capabilities to harness the power of transformational technology.
In collaboration with UCD Research, Professor Gerardine Meany (School of English, Drama and Film & UCD Centre for Cultural Analytics) and Professor PJ Mathews (School of English, Drama and Film & Creative Futures Academy) have shone a spotlight on how AI can be harnessed in the Arts & Humanities.
Cultural Analytics: Mapping the past, visualising the future
(opens in a new window)Prof Gerardine Meaney is a Professor of Cultural Theory at UCD School of English, Drama and Film and Director of (opens in a new window)UCD Centre for Cultural Analytics, where her research team combines UCD’s strengths in cultural criticism and social network analysis, traditional humanities and new computational approaches.
AI and machine-learning techniques enable arts and humanities researchers to explore patterns in cultural materials in a new and vibrant field of research known as cultural analytics. The field has been defined as the analysis of massive cultural data sets using computational and visualisation techniques. This can mean mapping cultural change and cultural continuities through analysis of literary materials over time.
Gerardine is also a member of the UCD Gender, Culture and Data team, who use data science methods to counteract the historical biases which often obscure women’s histories. Including postdoctoral researcher (opens in a new window)Dr Maria Butler and machine learning expert (opens in a new window)Associate Professor Derek Greene, UCD School of Computer Science, the team is conducting a pilot project integrating biographical information from the Dictionary of Irish Biography and the Field Day Anthologies. So far, they have shown how integrating data silos can reveal new, notable patterns and amplify previously underrepresented women’s voices, including oral storytellers and early modern historical figures.
Professor Meaney also flags the dangers of AI, sustainability and ethics, and the need for critical AI studies.
Read more on Cultural Analytics & AI >
AI in Creative Arts: Opening new doors into imaginative realms
Prof PJ Mathews is a founding member of the Creative Futures Academy - a groundbreaking partnership with NCAD and IADT Dun Laoghaire. He is Director of the (opens in a new window)CFA at University College Dublin, where he is a Professor of Irish Literature, Drama and Culture. He leads the Engaged Creativity research strand for UCD College of Arts and Humanities, and is Chair of the UCD Council of Creative Fellows.
How can the creative industries spark real transformation, and what positive role can AI play in the sector? PJ and the UCD Creative Futures Academy are pioneering bold new approaches that invite artists and performers to experiment at the frontier where creativity meets emerging technology. As AI tools evolve at a remarkable speed, our community is exploring how practitioners in the creative and performing arts can meaningfully engage with these innovations, expanding their capacity to imagine, design, and craft the cultural experiences of the future.
Through initiatives within UCD College of Arts and Humanities and UCD Creative Futures Academy, our experts are developing new pedagogies that nurture critical thinking, deepen interdisciplinary collaboration, and strengthen connections with the wider creative sector. Central to this work are initiatives such as the development of an AI toolbox partnership with industry and experimental spaces, including the Trapdoor theatre and the Creative Arts Research Lab (CARL). The Trapdoor provides a flexible, technology-enabled environment where performers and digital creatives can prototype new forms of storytelling and collaborate across disciplines in real time. Meanwhile, the CARL acts as an incubator for practice-based research, supporting projects that push artistic boundaries and generate new methodologies for creative production
UCD Research is spotlighting how AI is being used across the University. Learn more about the leaders and pioneers transforming the world through technology at UCD >