Lyria Bennett Moses, UNSW Allens Hub for Technology, Law and Innovation
There are moves around the world to do “something” about the potential downsides of AI for safety, equality and fairness, and accountability of decision-making (among other concerns). Europe is moving towards an “AI Act” while the US President has already issued an executive order with a range of policy prescriptions. Some other jurisdictions have charters or frameworks with rules or guidance, often focussing on government uses of AI (or algorithms, or automation – which are not all precisely the same thing). Ethical principles and statements abound across government, industry, NGOs and academia.
In light of these developments, what approaches might we take in Australia? Does it make sense to focus on a particular conception of technology (whether AI, algorithms, automation or something else) and “regulate” it? What role might standards, such as those being developed by national bodies, ISO/IEC JTC 1 and IEEE, play in the regulatory ecosystem? This talk will outline current developments and set out some of the advantages and drawbacks of different approaches.
Biography
Lyria is Director of the UNSW Allens Hub for Technology, Law and Innovation and a Professor and Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Law & Justice at UNSW Sydney. She is also co-lead of the Law and Policy Theme in the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre and a member of the Standards Australia committee for artificial intelligence standards. Lyria’s research explores issues around the relationship between technology and law, including the types of legal issues that arise as technology changes, how these issues are addressed in Australia and other jurisdictions, and the problems of treating “technology” as an object of regulation. Recently, she has been working on legal issues associated with the use of artificial intelligence, the use of artificial intelligence in courts and tribunals, and the appropriate legal framework for enhancing cyber security. Lyria is a member of the editorial boards for Technology and Regulation, Law, Technology and Humans and Law in Context. She is on the Executive Committee of the Australian Chapter of the IEEE’s Society for the Social Implications of Technology.