AI systems are being developed at an increasing pace and are already present in virtually every aspect of our lives. There is a consensus that, due to their potential impact, such systems must be carefully regulated. Europe has taken the lead, recently passing the AI Act, the first regulation concerning AI systems in the world. This opens a new scenario where AI and law professionals will have to work together at the different steps of the life cycle of AI systems, from their conception and development to the resolution of any potential problem derived from their use. The first step for a proper collaboration is good communication and understanding, and that requires both kinds of profiles being able to understand the basic ideas behind the others' work.
About the course
Content
The program will have 6 ECTS, divided into three different sections. The first section will include all the profile-dependent introductory knowledge needed for the other two sections. The second section will include the presentation of the challenges that arise both in the AI and the legal domain and the last section will consist of the joint interdisciplinary discussion of real-life situations. In this last section, the students will work in interdisciplinary groups discussing the legal and technical details in real life scenarios.
Learning outcomes
- Define and explain key AI concepts such as machine learning, deep learning, evaluation of models, etc.
- Identify the primary national and international regulatory frameworks related to AI (GDPR, AI Act, etc.).
- Analyze the ethical and legal challenges associated with AI development and use (privacy, algorithmic bias, liability).
- Identify and analyze the primary technical challenges in AI system development (data quality, interpretability, scalability).
- Collaborate with professionals from various disciplines (legal, ethical, engineering) to develop AI solutions.
Programme
The virtual part of the program will develop the profile-specific introduction and the technical and legal challenges. This part will include asynchronous activities (readings, videos, self-assessment tests, etc.) and synchronous sessions. Also, during the online part, the groups will work on the technical and legal challenges. Although the work in the practical cases will be developed mainly during the onsite part, during the online part the groups will be created, so they can get familiar with the cases. The virtual component will be prior to the on-site part.
The on-site part will take place in in San Sebastián (Donostia).
Assessment
Online tests. These tests will assess the understanding of the basic concepts
Participation in the discussions. Making, answering, and commenting on questions in both the online forums and the synchronous sessions
The work in groups will be evaluated both based on the participations observed during the on-site sessions and on the exposition of the results achieved by the group.
Lecturers
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University of the Basque Country: Usue Mori, Iñaki Inza, Borja Calvo
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Universtity of Göttingen: Zully Ritter, Anne Christin Hauschild, Nicolai Spicher
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University of Ghent: Eva Lievens, Griet Verhenneman, Yvan Saeys
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University of Uppsala: Andreas Kotsios
Course dates
On-site period: 7–11 April San Sebastián (Donostia).
Online period: 6 January to 14 March.
Please note that the application deadline mentioned below can be different in your home institution.
How to apply?
Entry requirements: Bachelor´s Degree level (3rd or 4th year), Master and PhD students with either an AI (computer science, data science, maths) or a law related profile.
Students from all ENLIGHT partner universities are eligible to participate. Students will be selected at each of these universities separately. Students interested in the course need to apply via their home university. They should contact their faculty or programme to verify whether it can fit in their curriculum and to ensure academic recognition of the credits obtained. The home university will select the permitted number of students, inform the students as soon as possible, and then send these names to the host institution. Unsuccessful students will be placed on a waiting list and may get a place, if other universities do not use all their allocated places.
Please select your home university below and contact your ENLIGHT coordinator for further information on the application process or consult the linked information.
- University of the Basque Country:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - University of Bern: Application instructions for students at the University of Bern
- University of Bordeaux:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Comenius University Bratislava:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - University of Galway:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Ghent University: Information about BIP's
- University of Groningen:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - University of Göttingen:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - University of Tartu: Application instructions for students at the University of Tartu
- Uppsala University: Application instructions for students at Uppsala University.
Contact
Borja Calvo (