Sixth DIGITALIZED! Masterclass for PhD students

The sixth Una Masterclass workshop will cover the topic of AI in court and be held by Henry Prakken, Professor of Legal Informatics and Legal Argumentation. Young researchers enrolled as PhD candidates at one of the Una Europa universities with an interest in the topics are invited to apply by 10 July 2022. The selection is made on a first come, first served basis. Jagiellonian University covers the cost of flights, accommodation and provides catering.

Driven by the spectacular progress in AI in recent years, especially in machine learning and natural-language processing, there has been increasing attention for the question how artificial intelligence (AI) can support judicial decision-making. In particular algorithmic case outcome predictors have received much attention. Some hope that supporting judges with such algorithms can increase the efficiency, predictability and consistency of judicial decision-making. It has even been suggested that such algorithms can be used to automate decision-making in routine cases so that judges have more time for complex cases. Others argue that the claimed benefits of such algorithms are based on misunderstandings concerning their nature and that for supporting or automating judicial decision-making a very different kind of AI system is needed, namely, knowledge-based algorithms that can apply legal knowledge to justify legal decisions. A more general concern with AI support for judges, whether data-driven or knowledge-based, is that this would force mechanical application of the law without room for individual justice and for creative interpretation of the law.

The aim of this masterclass is to discuss these issues from a legal-theoretical and philosophical perspective.

Prof. Prakken has master degrees in law (1985) and philosophy (1988) from the University of Groningen. In 1993 he obtained his PhD degree at the Free University Amsterdam with a thesis titled Logical Tools for Modelling Legal Argument. He subsequently worked as a research fellow of the Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) at the Free University Amsterdam and as a postdoc researcher at Imperial College London (UK) and the GMD Bonn (Germany). Since 1998 he is a (senior) lecturer at the Faculty of Science, Department of Information and Computing Sciences at Utrecht University. Since June 1st, 2004 he also is a professor of Law and ICT (since 2014 professor of Legal Informatics and Legal Argumentation) at the Law Faculty of the University of Groningen, and since May 2021 he is a part-time professor at the European University Institute, Fiesole, Florence, Italy.

The aim of the DIGITALIZED! Society in the Era of Digital Revolution project is to develop new methods to intensify the cooperation between the universities of Una Europa, and to conduct scientific research. The project also endeavours to popularize and educate. Moreover, the additional goal is to implement and carry out projects in the socio-economic environment that are connected with the impact of the digital revolution which influences changes in the social world.

DIGITALIZED! is financed by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange as part of the Academic International Partnerships programme. The project also supported a special edition of Una Europa Seed Funding, the results of which were recently announced. Head to our DIGITALIZED! story to learn about the six successful projects.

Photo credit: Ars Electronica, AI Truth Machine / LIT Law Lab, Johannes Kepler University (AT)