Law and Technology Initiative
The Initiative operates at the intersection of law and technology, including legal-services delivery technologies and laws and regulations governing technologies. Our vision for the Initiative is a partnership between Pritzker School of Law, McCormick School of Engineering, and external partners such as law firms, corporate legal departments, legal aid organizations, courts, other legal-services providers, legal technology companies, and information providers.
As part of the Initiative, we are planning a series of engaging events. In addition to Monthly Meetings, we plan to host training seminars, academic workshops, distinguished speakers, and an annual conference. We will also continue to undertake research and development projects with external partners, including in our Innovation Lab class, which was highlighted in this Law.com article.
The Initiative Monthly Meetings will focus on:
- building a community of practitioners, scholars, and students;
- sharing information, research, and other resources within this community;
- gathering feedback from the practitioner community regarding their challenges, needs, and interests; and
- providing Initiative updates.
Meetings held the first Thursday of each month (beginning September 5, 2019).
At the September 5, 2019 meeting, approximately 120 practitioners, allied professionals, law faculty and students, and computer science faculty and students engaged in wide ranging discussion about Law and Technology challenges. This Northwestern Engineering News article summarizes the event.
Upcoming Events
Thursday, October 26th- Friday, October 27th, 2023
This two-day workshop explores the critical intersection of computer science (CS), law, and policy in addressing the challenges and opportunities associated with ensuring reliability and trust in machine learning and artificial intelligence systems (AI). The workshop aims to convene experts and interested researchers, legislators, and regulators from all fields touching upon AI. The aim of this workshop is to foster collaboration and understanding between computer scientists and legal and policy experts and to address the challenges and opportunities of ensuring reliability and trust in AI systems.
The agenda is divided into four sessions.
(1) Foundations in CS and Law for Reliability and Trust. This session introduces reliability and trust from both CS and legal perspectives, highlighting principles and technologies. A panel will then discuss and provide insights on how these disciplines can contribute to shaping trustworthy and reliable AI.
(2-3) Generative AI and Specific AI Challenges. These sessions introduce generative AI, delving into the technical, legal, and regulatory landscape of generative AI. We will also analyze specific AI uses and challenges, examining reliability and trust in CS, law, and policy through real-world examples such as platform regulation, content moderation, misinformation, privacy in machine learning, cybersecurity, conversational AI, and automating legal advice and decision-making.
(4) AI Policy and Law. This session features a panel of experts exploring AI risks and benefits and emerging and future policy, legislation, and regulation. Discussion topics will include the EU AI Act, the 2023 proposed U.S. Algorithmic Accountability Act, and the Illinois law to form a task force on Generative AI. Additional talks will address platform regulation and AI and legal reasoning.
Registration is required. For more information and registration, please click here.
Thank you to LKQ Corporation for its support of the Law and Technology Initiative.
