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Narratives, Frontier Technologies & the Law

Conference
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The rapid development of Frontier Technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, genomics, and autonomous systems, offers great potential to tackle global challenges like climate change but also poses risks like exacerbating inequality and disrupting societal norms. Regulation is complex due to conflicting narratives, where optimism about progress may downplay risks, and the supposed neutrality of technology can overlook inherent biases.

The Conference aims to examine these dynamics and provide scholarly perspectives on the interplay between narratives, technology, and law, with topics ranging from ethical and legal challenges, bias and fairness, innovation and governance in emerging technology, sustainability and the environment, and international perspectives.

Selected Conference papers will also appear in a Special Journal Issue of ‘Law, Technology and Humans’ (https://lthj.qut.edu.au).

In the newest blog on Law Blogs Maastricht, we look back on this inspiring event: https://bit.ly/40CvIcw 

Programme
DAY ONE: Wednesday 30th October 2024 (exclusively online)

09.15   Opening and welcome by Syamsuriatina Ishak 

09.30   KEYNOTE by Professor Kieran Tranter – Law and Technology as Nomos

10.30   Session One: Ethics of Frontier Technology

  • Talya Deibel & Eric Deibel: Forgotten Boundaries in Law - On AI and Neurotechnology 
  • Giovana Peluso Lopes: Bias in Adjudication and the Promise of AI - Challenges to the Right to a Fair Trial
  • Mirko Djukovic: New Organs on Command – The Regulatory Prospects of 3D Bioprinting Technology in the EU 

  • Session discussion led by Nizamuddin Ahmad Siddiqui 
     

     

12.00   Break

13.30   Session Two: Law & Technology

  • Bojan Perovic: Narrating the Future - Decoding the Ethics and Legalities of AI in the Age of Misinformation
  • Heloisa Valadares: Science Fiction and the (In)Existence of a Future for Privacy and Data Protection: Upload (2020) as a Representation of Law as a Narrative
  • Karen Schultz: Utopia and Intellectual Humility 

  • Session Discussion led by Gustavo Rabay


     

15.35   Keynote by Professor Catherine Z Elgin: The Role of Art and Science in Futurism
 

DAY TWO: Thursday 31st October 2024 (hybrid: online & in-person at UM, Faculty of Law)

08.30   Registration

09.00   Welcome & conference introduction by Syamsuriatina Ishak

09.30   Keynote by Professor Bart Verheij: Stories about knowledge, data and reasoning in AI and law

10.15   Break

10.30   Session Three: Socio-Impact of Frontier Technology

  • Alexandra Molitorisová: The Narrative of 10 Billion in the Regulation of New Genomic Techniques in Plant Breeding
  • Olga Pandos: The Impact of Narratives on the Legal and Regulatory Discourse of Heritable Human Genome Editing
  • Jaap Hage: How Narratives Influence the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Our Society
  • Session discussion led by Gijs Van Dijck 
     

12.30   Lunch Break

14.00   Session Four: Intellectual Property & Privacy Concerns in Evolving Frontier Technology

  • Despoina Farmaki: User-Generated Content in Gaming- Legal Challenges and Narrative Frameworks
  • Xi Lin: Protecting AI-Generated Images as Work of Fine Art in China
  • Bader Alnoaimi: Beyond the ‘Territorial Trap’: Reading Data Sovereignty, Territorialisation, and Regulatory Contestations In Global Data Governance from the Perspective of Bahrain’s Cloud Data Governance Framework
  • Session discussion led by André Nunes Chaib
     

16.00   Break 

16.30   Keynote by Dr Pauline Phoa – A Hermeneutic Approach to Technology Regulacon

17.15   Networking session

 

DAY THREE: Friday 1st November 2024 (hybrid: online & in-person at UM, Faculty of Law)

09.00   Day's Intro by Henrique Marcos

09.30   Keynote by Professor Harro van Lente – Captured by Expectations: Strategic Games of New Technologies

10.15   Break 

10.30   Session Five: Democratic & Commercial Exploitation of Frontier Technology

  • Pin Lean Lau: Hidden Figures - Unveiling Algorithmic Data Biases in Health and Medical AI – Impact on Key Populations 

  • Anh Nguyen: Export Controls as Innovation Marketing? Sociotechnical Imaginaries in the Ringfencing of Quantum Technologies

     

  • Valentina Golunova: A Misogynistic Glitch? A Feminist Critique of Algorithmic Content Moderation on Social Media Platforms
  • Henrique Marcos: Tech Won’t Save Us - Climate Crisis, International Environmental Law, and Techno-Utopianism
  • Session discussion led by Agustin Parise
     

12.30   Lunch Break

14.00   Session Six: The Arts as Legal Phronesis for Frontier Technology

  • Federica Montanaro: Eco-Narratives and Sustainable Futures - Integrating Insights from Law, Criminology, and Science Fiction 

     

  • Chinmay Deshmukh -Reimagining Blockchain Governance through a Habermasian Lens
  • Syamsuriatina Ishak: Science Fiction Literature as Futurism and Phronesis in Frontier Technology Regulation & Policymaking
  • Session discussion led by Harro van Lente
     

16.00   Break 

16.30   Keynote by Dr Eduardo Gill-Pedro: Hiding the Machine: Stories, Rights, and the Naturalisation of Corporate Technology

17.15   Closing remarks by Henrique Marcos

17.30   Networking session

We thank the sponsors University Fund SWOL and Wetenschapscommissie Faculty of Law to make this event possible.

swol

Relevant links

In the newest blog on Law Blogs Maastricht, we look back on this inspiring event: https://bit.ly/40CvIcw