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1 - 1 of 1 results for: Leading Disruptive Innovation

LAW 4041: Lawyering for Innovation: Artificial Intelligence

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has made the jump from science fiction to technical viability to product reality. Industries as far flung as finance, transportation, defense, and healthcare invest billions in the field. Patent filings for robotics and machine learning applications have surged. And policymakers are beginning to grapple with technologies once confined to the realm of computer science, such as predictive analytics and neural networks. AI's rise to prominence came thanks to a confluence of factors. Increased computing power, large-scale data collection, and advancements in machine learning---all accompanied by dramatic decreases in costs---have resulted in machines that now have the ability to exhibit complex "intelligent" behaviors. They can navigate in real-world environments, process natural language, diagnose illnesses, predict future events, and even conquer strategy games. These abilities, in turn, have allowed companies and governments to entrust machines with responsibilities once exclusively reserved for humans---including influencing hiring decisions, bail release conditions, loan considerations, medical treatment and police deployment. But with these great new powers, of course, come great new responsibilities. The first public deployments of AI have seen ample evidence of the technology's disruptive---and destructive---capabilities. AI-powered systems have killed and maimed, filled social networks with hate, and been accused of shaping the course of elections. And as the technology proliferates, its governance will increasingly fall upon lawyers involved in the design and development of new products, oversight bodies and government agencies. AI is the biggest addition to technology law and policy since the rise of the internet, and its influence spreads far beyond the tech sector. As such, those entering practice in a wide variety of fields need to understand AI from the ground up in order to competently assess and influence its policy, legal and product implications as deployments scale across industries in the coming years. This course is designed to teach precisely that. It seeks to equip students with an understanding of the basics of AI and machine learning systems by studying the implications of the technology along the design/deployment continuum, moving from (1) system inputs (data collection) to (2) system design (engineering) and finally to (3) system outputs (product features). This input/design/output framework will be used throughout the course to survey substantive engineering, policy and legal issues arising at each of those key stages. In doing so, the course will span topics including privacy, bias, discrimination, intellectual property, torts, transparency and accountability. The course will also feature leading experts from a variety of AI disciplines and professional backgrounds. An important aspect of the course is gaining an understanding of the technical underpinnings of AI, which will be packaged in an easy-to-understand, introductory manner with no prior technical background required. The writing assignments will center on reflection papers on legal, regulatory and policy analysis of current issues involving AI. The course will be offered for two units of credit (H/P/R/F). Grading will be determined by attendance, class participation and written assignments. Given the course's multi-disciplinary focus, students outside of the law school, particularly those studying computer science, engineering or business, are welcome. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and submit a Consent Application Form available on the SLS website (Click Courses at the bottom of the homepage and then click Consent of Instructor Forms). See Consent Application Form for instructions and submission deadline.
Last offered: Spring 2019
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