AI Law and Policy

Content

Objective

-The aim of this course is to introduce students to the principles of technology policy and regulation, its interaction with law, and the emerging regulatory framework surrounding artificial intelligence with a specific focus on the European Union’s AI Act.

Course Content

-Week 1: Introduction

Week 2: Technology law, regulation, and policy
- Roger BROWNSWORD / Karen YEUNG, Regulating Technologies: Legal Futures, Regulatory Frames and Technological Fixes, Hart Publishing, 2008.
- David HENRY, Designing Tech Policy: Instructional Case Studies for Technologists and Policymakers, University of Washington Tech Policy Lab.
- Julia BLACK, Forms and Paradoxes of Principles Based Regulation, 2008.
- Lawrence LESSIG, Codes and Other Laws of Cyberspace, 2006.

Week 3: What is AI as a regulatory subject matter?
- The AI Index Report, Stanford University, 2016-2023.
- Jonas SCHUETT, A Legal Definition of AI, arXiv, 2019.
- European Commission Joint Research Centre, AI Watch – Defining Artificial Intelligence, 2020.
- Isabel TRANCOSO / Nuno MAMEDE / Bruno MARTINS / H. Sofia PINTO / Ricardo RIBEIRO, “The Impact of Language Technologies in the Legal Domain”, Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Springer, 2024.
- Rembrandt DEVILLE / Nico SERGEYSSELS / Catherine MIDDAG, “Basic Concepts of AI for Legal Scholars”, Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Intersentia, 2021.

Week 4: AI and data protection law
- Ralf POSCHER, “Artificial Intelligence and the Right to Data Protection”, The Cambridge Handbook of Responsible Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge University Press, 2022.
- Boris P. PAAL, “Artificial Intelligence as a Challenge for Data Protection Law”, The Cambridge Handbook of Responsible Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge University Press, 2022.
- Wilfried HINSCH, “Differences That Make a Difference”, The Cambridge Handbook of Responsible Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge University Press, 2022.
- Carl Vander MAELEN / Eva LIEVENS / Judith VERMEULEN / Ingrida MILKAITE, “AI and Data Protection: The Case of Smart Home Assistants”, Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Intersentia, 2021.

Week 5: AI and intellectual property law
- Pawel KSIEZAK / Sylwia WOJTCZAK, “Copyright”, Toward a Conceptual Network for the Private Law of Artificial Intelligence, 2023.
- Aviv H. GAON, The Future of Copyright in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Edward Elgar, 2021.
- Jozefien VANHERPE, “AI and IP: A Tale of Two Acronyms”, Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Intersentia, 2021.

Week 6: AI and liability
- Christiane WENDEHORST, “Liability for Artificial Intelligence”, The Cambridge Handbook of Responsible Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge University Press, 2022.
- Beatriz A. RIBEIRO / Helder COELHO / Ana Elisabete FERREIRA / Joao BRANQUINHO, “Metacognition, Accountability and Legal Personhood of AI”, Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Springer, 2024.
- Ana Taveira DE FONSECA / Elsa Vaz DE SEQUIRA / Luis Barreto XAVIER, “Liability for AI Driven Systems”, Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Springer, 2024.
- Pawel KSIEZAK / Sylwia WOJTCZAK, “Liability of AI”, Toward a Conceptual Network for the Private Law of Artificial Intelligence, 2023.
- Jan DE BRUYNE / Elias VAN GOOL / Thomas GILS, “Tort Law and Damage by AI Systems”, Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Intersentia, 2021.

Week 7: International efforts in AI law and policy
- Thomas METZINGER, “Towards a Global Artificial Intelligence Charter”, The Cambridge Handbook of Responsible Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge University Press, 2022.
- Hannah VAN KOLFSCHOOTEN / Carmel SHACHAR, “The Council of Europe’s AI Convention (2023-2024): Promises and pitfalls for health protection”, Healthy Policy, Vol. 138, 2023.

Week 8 Midterm

Week 9 AI law and policy in the EU – 1
- Thomas BURRI, “The New Regulation of the European Union on Artificial Intelligence”, The Cambridge Handbook of Responsible Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge University Press, 2022.
- Nikos NIKOLINAKOS, “Launching a European Initiative on Artificial Intelligence” / “Ethical Principles for Trustworthy AI”, EU Policy and Legal Framework for Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Related Technologies-The AI Act, Springer, 2023.
- Ugo PAGALLO, “Dismantling Four Myths in AI & EU Law Through Legal Information ‘About’ Reality”, Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Springer, 2024.
- Joana Covelo DE ABREU, “The “Artificial Intelligence Act” Proposal on European e-Justice Domains Through the Lens of User-Focused, User-Friendly and Effective Judicial Protection Principles”, Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Springer, 2024.

Week 10: AI law and policy in the EU – 2
- Katerina YORDANOVA / Natalie BERTELS, “Regulating AI: Challenges and the Way Forward Through Regulatory Sandboxes”, Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Springer, 2024.
- Nikos NIKOLINAKOS, “The Proposed Artificial Intelligence Act and Subsequent ‘Compromise’ Proposals: Commission, Council, Parliament”, EU Policy and Legal Framework for Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Related Technologies-The AI Act, Springer, 2023.
- Rostam J. NEUWIRTH, The EU Artificial Intelligence Act: Regulating Subliminal AI Systems, Routledge, 2022.

Week 11-12: AI law and policy in the US and the UK
- Huw ROBERTS / Alexander BABUTA / Jessica MORLEY / Christopher THOMAS / Mariarosaria TADDEO /Luciano FLORIDI, “Artificial intelligence regulation in the United Kingdom: A path to good governance and global leadership?”, Internet Policy Review, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2023, pp. 1-31.
- Yoon CHAE, “US AI Regulation Guide: Legislative Overview and Practical Considerations”, The Journal of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & Law, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2020, pp. 17-40.
- Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, 30.10.2023.

Week 13: AI law and policy in China
- Weixing SHEN / Yun LIU, “China’s Normative Systems for Responsible AI”, The Cambridge Handbook of Responsible Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge University Press, 2022.
- Huw ROBERTS / Josh COWLS / Jessica MORLEY / Mariarosaria TADDEO / Vincent WANG / Luciano FLORIDI, “The Chinese approach to artificial intelligence: an analysis of policy, ethics, and regulation”, AI & Society, Vol. 36, 2021, pp. 59-77.

Week 14: AI law and policy in the future: What to expect?
- Mathias RISSE, “Artificial Intelligence and the Past, Present, and Future of Democracy”, The Cambridge Handbook of Responsible Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge University Press, 2022.
Supplementary reading list:
- Martin EBERS / Cristina PONCIBO / Mimi ZOU, Contracting and Contract Law in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Hart Publishing, 2022.
- Michiel FIERENS / Stephanie ROSSELLO / Ellen WAUTERS, “Setting the Scene: On AI Ethics and Regulation”, Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Intersentia, 2021.

Course Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, students could:
- Identify appropriate regulatory instruments for the regulation of a given technology
- Draft a provision or analyse the existing provisions on technology regulation from the perspective of effectiveness and legal principles
- Identify applicable legal provisions to a given AI system
- Classify an AI system under the EU law and identify the associated requirements

References

Supplementary reading list:
- Martin EBERS / Cristina PONCIBO / Mimi ZOU, Contracting and Contract Law in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Hart Publishing, 2022.
- Michiel FIERENS / Stephanie ROSSELLO / Ellen WAUTERS, “Setting the Scene: On AI Ethics and Regulation”, Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Intersentia, 2021.

Assessment System