Engineers Ireland was delighted to present the Engineers Ireland STEPS Award to Oisin O’Gorman, Ashkan Samali and Feargal Browne, third year students in Castleknock College, for their project ‘How can AI combat disinformation and deepfakes online’ at the recent Stripe Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2026. The award recognises the most outstanding project with innovative engineering content in the Intermediate Age Group (Republic of Ireland: 3rd & 4th Year, Northern Ireland: Year 11 & 12).
The students’ project addresses a new and ever-growing threat of misinformation through the manipulation of AI. The team developed two AI recognition tools using their expertise in coding, programming, and artificial intelligence: a text-based model aimed at determining if a body of text was made using AI or not; and a model aimed at identifying ‘deep fake’ videos. Both models worked extremely well, with an accuracy rating of over 90%.
The students commented: “The project came from our personal and global experience. We have social media and we can see the growing threat of deep fakes and disinformation every day and it is getting stronger with the use of AI. We wanted to use AI against itself to provide a solution.”
Keith Sunderland, Registrar at Engineers Ireland, praised this year’s winners, stating: “Engineering is the application of scientific principles to real world challenges, and it is inspiring to see the students excel in this approach to problem solving. Their achievements reaffirm that the future of Irish engineering is in great hands.”
About STEPS
The Engineers Ireland STEPS Programme is designed to open up the exciting possibilities that engineering offers to school children who want to make a real difference in the world. STEPS aims to inspire future generations of STEM talent by providing meaningful, fun, and practical insights into the diverse world of engineering. www.engineersireland.ie/
About Engineers Ireland
With over 30,000 members, Engineers Ireland is the voice of the engineering profession in Ireland. Engineers Ireland was established in 1835, making it one of the oldest and largest professional bodies in Ireland. Members come from every discipline of engineering, and they range from engineering students to fellows of the profession. For more information, see www.engineersireland.ie.
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