Patricia Scanlon facts for kids
Patricia Scanlon is an Irish expert in technology and business. She started a company called SoapBox Labs in 2013. This company uses artificial intelligence (AI) to create voice recognition technology especially for children's voices. Patricia was the CEO of SoapBox Labs until May 2021, when she became the executive chair. In 2022, the Irish Government chose her to be Ireland's first Artificial Intelligence Ambassador. In this important role, she helps people understand how AI works and its good and bad sides.
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Growing Up and Learning
Patricia Scanlon grew up in a town called Naas in County Kildare, Ireland. Her dad worked for a building company, and her mom was a local town councillor.
Patricia studied electronic engineering at the Dublin Institute of Technology, finishing in 1997. Later, in 2005, she earned a PhD from University College Dublin. Her PhD focused on how computers can understand human speech. She also spent time doing research at Columbia University in New York and at IBM in Dublin.
Her Work and Innovations
Patricia Scanlon started her career as a software engineer. She worked at a tech company in Dublin and also spent short times working in Holland and Australia. After getting her PhD, she worked at Bell Labs in Dublin. There, she worked on projects about communication, health technology, and sound signals.
Starting SoapBox Labs
In 2013, Patricia founded SoapBox Labs. She realized that most voice recognition technology was made for adults. It didn't work well for kids because children have higher voices and different ways of speaking. Kids also don't change how they speak when talking to AI.
SoapBox Labs got support from Enterprise Ireland. From 2014 to 2016, Patricia worked from a special center at Trinity College Dublin. Her company collected thousands of hours of children's voices from 192 countries. These recordings were made in real-world, often noisy, places. This helped them create their unique voice data. By 2021, SoapBox Labs had raised over $12 million to grow their business. Their technology is now used in many toy and education apps. By 2019, their technology could understand voices in Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and Italian.
In May 2021, Patricia stepped down as CEO of SoapBox Labs. She became the executive chair, and Martyn Farrows took over as CEO.
Speaking and Sharing Ideas
Patricia Scanlon has spoken at many important events. These include Inspirefest in 2017, SXSW EDU in 2021, and the Women in Tech Global Conference in 2022. In 2019, she gave a TEDx talk at the University of Limerick. She spoke about "How Technology Transforms a Child’s Reading Journey."
Ireland's AI Ambassador
In 2022, Patricia Scanlon was chosen as the first Artificial Intelligence Ambassador for the Irish Government. Minister of State Robert Troy announced her appointment. Her main job is to lead discussions across Ireland about AI. She talks about how AI fits into people's lives, including its good points and any risks. She works with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Minister Troy hopes Ireland can be a leader in using AI in a way that is fair and puts people first.
Awards and Special Mentions
Patricia Scanlon has received many awards for her work.
In October 2018, Forbes magazine named her one of the top 50 Women in Tech in Europe. They also listed her as one of the top 50 Women in Tech worldwide.
In 2020, Voicebot.ai listed Patricia as #6 among the top Visionaries in Voice. This list included famous people like Jeff Bezos. In 2021, she was a finalist for the EU Prize for Women Innovators. This award celebrates talented women entrepreneurs from across Europe.
Personal Life
Patricia Scanlon is married and has two children.
