Mahindra varsity to organise international meet on law & AI

Hyderabad: The School of Law (SOL) at Mahindra University is hosting a workshop and conference focused on the intersection of ‘Data Governance and Artificial Intelligence’, as well as the challenges and opportunities presented by ‘Revolutionary Technologies and Evolving Laws’. The workshop is set to take place on February 29, and the conference will be held on March 1 and 2 in a hybrid mode.

Dean of the School of Law, Professor Balakista Reddy, said, “Technology has played a significant role in our progress and evolution. However, it’s essential to consider the ethical and societal implications of technological advancements. New technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, cybersecurity, digital media, and communications are revolutionising the way we live and work. It’s important to stay updated on the latest developments in these areas and understand their impact on our society and legal systems.”

He added, “In recent times, we witnessed how technology and law worked in tandem during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID era witnessed an everlasting surge in the new normal in the usage of technology. Thus, paving the way for digital technology platforms in the form of e-classrooms, e-courts, e-governance, telemedicine, and virtual tourism.”

He highlighted that the ever-evolving landscape of technology will continue to shape our world in profound and unpredictable ways, offering opportunities for progress, creativity, and beyond discovery.

The convergence of computing power, connectivity, and data has given birth to a plethora of technologies capable of both benefit and harm. ‘We are already witnessing how artificial intelligence, algorithms, and other advances are disrupting society, privacy, commerce, and the law. These and other rapidly upcoming technologies raise some fundamental questions when it comes to ethics, law, and policy issues.

The legal jurisprudence should also evolve at the speed of technology, specifically on the issue of the applicability and utility of current laws and regulations that govern their use, particularly on issues concerning the existing national/international law principles of State sovereignty, State jurisdiction, State responsibility, and State liability.

Against this backdrop, renowned lawyers, industry experts, sitting and retired judges, and academicians from across the world are participating, to name a few: Dragoş Tudorache (Member of the European Parliament); Debbi Reynolds (Global Data Privacy and Protection Expert Strategist, Chicago, USA); Professor Frans Von Der Dunk (Leiden University, Netherlands); Michael Charles Borrelli (Director at AI and Partners, Netherlands); Manu Mohan (Consultant, Shoosmith, Brussels, Belgium); Bala Prasad (Chief Innovation Officer, TCS, India); Jeremy Werner (News Director, BABL AI, Missouri, USA); Dr Akshaya Kamalnath (Australian National University, Australia).

The importance of these forthcoming events lies in their respective domains and their ability to bridge the ever-widening gulf between law and technology. With technology advancing at a rapid pace, the law has been struggling to keep pace, leaving society grappling with numerous challenges. To address these disparities, Mahindra University School of Law (SOL) is organising the above events to directly address these issues, such as data security, State sovereignty, AI ethics, and the definition of AI, among other contemporary pressing issues and challenges.

This workshop and conference distinctly aim at providing a common platform for discussion and culminating in a convergence of legal and technological perspectives, he added.