These and other highly topical questions related to artificial intelligence will be addressed at the conference ‘InnovAItion Law for Technology 4.0’, organised by Maja Brkan, Catalina Goanta and Ana Ramalho from the Faculty of Law of Maastricht University. The conference will take place on 6 April 2018 at the UM Campus Brussels.

The European and global society is gradually transitioning into the fourth industrial revolution, marked by an exponential technological advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as works of art created by AI systems, algorithmic decision-making and autonomous vehicles. The profound transformation of our society creates a pressing need for a clear legal framework that the EU is currently seeking to develop within Digital Single Market, notably through the adoption of the recent EP Resolution on Civil Law Rules on Robotics. 

However, while some initial academic research has been conducted on these issues, a truly interdisciplinary approach has been lacking so far. This conference aims to fill this gap by promoting a unique concept in which lawyers collaborate with computer scientists to jointly prepare their presentations – and finally joint papers – on the most pressing issues related to artificial intelligence.

Against this background, three sets of questions will be debated at the conference:
(i) Privacy law: How to protect privacy and ensure accountability for decisions taken by autonomous AI agents affecting humans (e.g. automated tax decisions)?(ii) IP law: Who should hold copyright over works of art created by AI agents and can AI-generated inventions be patented? How does the IP and data interface work in the context of AI?
(iii) Private law: What types of regulation should govern AI liability, and which actors should be involved in these regulatory approaches?

The conference will be composed of three panels, tackling respectively the questions of private law, IP and privacy. Each panel will be organised with two ‘pairs’ of speakers presenting their joint paper. 

You are welcome to attend this conference. No registration fee will be charged, but registration is required. The conference will take place on 6 April 2018 at the UM Campus Brussels.