Digitisation, AI and the Law

14th-15th March 2019, Toskana-Saal, Residenzplatz 2, 97070 Würzburg

Mobility, labour market and industry, public administration, education, consumer protection and medicine, as diverse as these areas of life may seem to be at first glance, they all have one thing in common: digital innovation has become the determining factor in their evolution. It is not without reason, therefore, that these areas constitute discrete departments - so-called "platforms" - within the framework of the "Digital Summit" of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy. Obviously, the digitization of our world not only brings benefits. It also creates problems, of which legal concerns play much more than a minor role. In particular, two important issues stand out: the ever greater interconnectivity between actors via the Internet and the development of artificially intelligent systems.

These developments transcend national borders. They can only be tackled by taking an international perspective. In particular, a comparison of internal and external European legal systems can bring about and promote an enormous gain in knowledge for all parties. In times of nearly ubiquitous interconnectivity, increased dialogue is essential. This applies above all in the area of law, which seeks to provide common guidelines for national interchange, but also for amicable and friendly exchange between people.

For this reason, the Chair of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law, Legal Theory, Information Law and Legal Informatics is hosting a conference on 14th and 15th March 2019 entitled "Digitization, Artificial Intelligence and Law". Participants will include leaders in the field from all over the world. The conference is divided into two thematic blocks: "Artificial Intelligence, Law and Ethics" (Thursday, 14th March 2019 from 10:00 a.m.) and "New Challenges for Law and Ethics posed by the Internet" (Friday, 15th March 2019 from 9:00 a.m.). Of particular interest will be the keynote lecture by Dr. Christoph Peylo, Head of the Bosch Center of Artificial Intelligence, who will give a practical overview of the current state of the art in artificial intelligence. We are looking forward to contributions by scholars from Brazil, Turkey, India, Italy, Taiwan, Israel and China. The conference will take place in the Toskana-Saal of the Residenz. Anyone with a professional or general interest in the topics to be covered is cordially invited to attend.