| CODE | MCT4007 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Advanced Introduction to Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence Law | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 04 - Years 4, 5 in Modular UG or PG Cert Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Media, Communications & Technology Law | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | While the the 00's and the 2010's have witnessed major technological evolutions that revolved around the Internet of information, namely the way informational goods are produced, disseminated and processed, the beginning of 2020's marks the dawn of a next step in our technological future. On the one hand, blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies have created a new architecture of trust, one that is based on software and automated solutions and not on intermediating institutions. On the other hand, recent developments in AI research promise an overhaul of the traditional execution of cognitive tasks, as AI agents seem able to overtake traditional human activities. This study-unit is concerned with the legal regulation of our technological future. It will primarily examine blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies, as well as legal issues related to AI agents. The content of the study unit could be summarized in the following key questions: Is it possible or even welcome to regulate blockchain technologies? If yes, what is the optimal way to do so? What legal issues will we be facing? Which fields of law will be of particular importance? Can AI agents attain the status of legal personhood? Should they? Can an AI agent be the owner of property (both physical and intellectual)? Is it possible to hold an AI agent legally responsible, especially in terms of civil law? Study-Unit Aims: of this study-unit is to prepare students for the legal challenges posed by emerging technologies, especially blockchain and AI, by offering them the necessary methodological insights, as well as detailed sectoral knowledge in the affected fields of law. After an introduction to the social and technical background of these cutting edge developments, the study-unit will explore the possible regulatory issues that emerge due to the gradual mainstream deployment of blockchain and AI solutions. The study unit will identify the relevant fields of law and then focus on issues of privacy, intellectual property, consumer protection, civil liability and dispute resolution. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Explore the regulatory challenges of blockchain technologies - Identify key legal issues related to AI tehnologies - Construct arguments against or in favour of regulating emerging technologies - Investigate the affected fields of law - Identify, explore and interpret the key legal instruments 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Perform legal analysis of emerging technologies - Appraise regulatory proposals - Interpret existing regulatory instruments - Advise on legal issues related to blockchain and AI - Analyse policy proposals Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - De Filippi, P., Wright, A. (2018), Blockchain and the Law-The Rule of Code (Harvard University Press). - Wehrbach, K. (2018), Blockchain and the New Architecture of Trust (The MIT Press). - Szostek, D. (2019), Blockchain and the Law (Nomos). - Artzt, M., Richter T. (2020), Handbook of Blockchain Law (Wolters Kluwer). - Pagallo, U., Woodrow, B. (2020), Advanced Introduction to Law and Artificial Intelligence (Edward Elgar Publishing) Supplementary Readings: - Veale, M., Borgesius F. Z. (2021), Demystifying the Draft EU Artificial Intelligence Act. Available at https://arxiv.org/pdf/2107.03721.pdf. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Independent Study | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Ioannis Revolidis (Co-ord.) Mireille-Martine Sant |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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