Regulation and technological innovations [DROIB333]

Learning outcomes

The course is open to students of law (B3 is highly recommended), computer science and management. It is not necessary to be a "geek" to take the course, but students should demonstrate an ability to be open to the realities of the digital environment. The course is based on a (very) active teaching method. This has several consequences. 1) Attendance and active participation in each course are required. It is therefore not possible to combine this course with another course taking place at the same time. 2) The evaluation is done continuously during the quadrennium, from week to week. Each week, in addition to the compulsory course, the student must complete an assignment, consisting of various tasks (legal and technical research, listening to a lecture, analysis of texts, preparation of a report, etc.). certain services, etc.). The preparation time for each assignment varies from about 1 to 3 hours per week. Each assignment is evaluated and forms part of the final score. 3) In addition to these assignments, an assignment combining theoretical research and practical investigation is carried out at the end of the term. It is graded and forms part of the final grade. 4) An examination on all the material covered in the course and during the missions completes the final grade.

Objectives

At the level of disciplinary skills - question the role and usefulness of law in the state; - analyse the technological tools around us with a critical and constructive eye; - mobilise knowledge from different subjects studied previously or concurrently and project it into a digital context; - define and propose solutions adapted to the challenges of a state governed by the rule of law; - apply theoretical knowledge to practical situations with the aim of defining a concrete normative framework. In terms of soft skills - work independently by investing in a "flipped classroom" type of pedagogical approach based on listening to podcasts, watching videos, solving exercises and finding concrete examples - work in a progressive and regular way through the accomplishment of "missions", each stage of which must be validated at a specific moment in the curriculum - working and thinking in groups - become familiar with the language and reasoning of experts (lawyers, philosophers, computer scientists, etc) - become familiar with the work and thinking of professionals in a particular sector who are not necessarily lawyers - develop a sense of inquiry in the field by studying concrete and current issues in the digital context - share the results of its research with the professional world (magistrates, parliamentarians, associations, media, startups, etc.). - opening up to the world, especially the world of technology

Content

The general theme of the course The digital revolution is invading many aspects of our daily lives and questioning our rule of law. There are many examples. In the last elections, Vlaams Belang conducted election propaganda on Facebook, using algorithms to influence the voter. Artificial intelligence software is attractive because of its apparent neutrality. It is used, for example, to assist or even replace judges. Social networks lock us into "filter bubbles" and push us to adopt behaviour that we would not necessarily adopt spontaneously. Covid has put the spotlight on a subject that has been little known until now: the management of our personal data by the state. What does it do with it? How do we know? Should we be afraid? How can we oppose an administrative decision taken by attaching us to a predefined profile that may not correspond to us? These are all everyday situations caused by the development of digital technology. What they have in common, at present, is that they are not regulated by standards or are not regulated adequately. In particular, the law, which often lags behind technological innovations, is no longer sufficient to answer certain key questions in this area. This situation generates fundamental reflections in our rule of law, in particular in relation to the fundamental rights of citizens, the security of individuals, equality and non-discrimination between citizens, the protection of vulnerable persons, access to information, control of our personal data, etc. Course content and method The course consists of two parts: the classroom sessions and the exploratory work. 1- THE COURSE SESSIONS The course is designed as an investigation in the land of algorithms. It is structured in 10 questions that correspond to distinct themes related to technological innovations and their regulation, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence. Each question corresponds to a session of the course. The first courses are framework courses, devoted to the explanation of the key notions and concepts of the course. For example, "What is an algorithm? The following courses are thematic courses, dedicated to the regulation of technologies in specific sectors. For example, "Will robots replace judges?" or "Are GAFAM the new masters of the world? Before each course, the student must complete an "assignment. This mission takes between 3 and 6 hours per week. In short, during this mission, the student familiarises himself with the subject matter that will be covered in the course, using dynamic sources such as podcasts, video interviews, TedX conferences, exercises, etc. As the learning process is progressive, each performance must be validated in the digital learning pathway as it is completed. 2- EXPLORATORY WORK In addition to these 10 missions and 10 courses, an exploratory study was carried out. The student is invited to choose a regulatory question related to the themes studied in the course. For example, should we fear or desire that legal decisions be made by robots? First, the student will carry out journalistic work by interviewing people working in the sector studied to understand the realities in the field. For example, it would be useful to interview magistrates, as well as people working on the development of artificial intelligence software for justice, to find out what is already being done in this field and what could be done in the future. Then, this reality will be confronted with the existing regulation. For example, are there any rules in law (judicial, constitutional, etc.), in particular, likely to regulate the use of software to deliver justice? Finally, on the basis of his findings and his theoretical background in the field, the student will formulate possible solutions to create or improve the current regulation in the sector studied. -- This course is given by Professor Elise DEGRAVE in the 2nd semester, on Thursdays from 2 to 4 pm