ICYMI – 2nd Annual OBLB Conference on ‘The Law of Autonomous Systems and the Automation of Law’

The 2nd Annual Conference of the Oxford Business Law Blog will bring together practitioners and researchers to discuss emerging issues in the field of law and artificial intelligence. The conference, which is generously sponsored by Travers Smith (benefactor of the OBLB) and Freshfields, is to be held at St Hugh's College, University of Oxford on 8 March.

The rapid increase in computational power and the volume of available data stand to significantly transform the law: both the way we practice law, and the way law performs its societal functions. A defining feature of this transformation is the increased autonomy of artificial (computer) agents, and their ability to automate tasks previously performed by humans. Increasingly autonomous, data-driven processes create new challenges for law and policy. These include: how should the application of new technologies, such as machine learning, be regulated to provide adequate space for innovation whilst still protecting consumers and investors in increasingly disintermediated markets? How should data and privacy laws control the use and application of personal data in training autonomous systems? How should liability be attributed and distributed where a (semi-) autonomous agent causes harm or loss? How does legal education and training need to change to equip the lawyers of tomorrow with the skills needed to manage increasingly automated legal processes? And how should autonomous systems be designed so as to maximise their resilience to cyberattacks?

The conference will be organized around 4 roundtable discussions on the following topics: Smart contracts and Dispute Resolution; FinTech; LegalTech; and Cybersecurity and Data Control.

Date and Time: 8 March 2018 | 1:30 pm to 6.30pm

Location: Mordan Hall, St Hugh's College, St Margaret's Rd, Oxford OX2 6LE

Full programme and link to register here.