C9007 - Law, Institutions, Ethics, and AI (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will have a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory and institutional challenges associated with integrating AI technologies into various social, institutional, and economic sectors. They will explore different regulatory frameworks and approaches to AI governance, particularly focusing on comparative analyses between the EU, USA, Africa, and China. This insight will allow students to understand how regional differences influence regulatory strategies and compliance requirements. Through the course, students will explore the governance structures of AI, emphasizing the AI Act and its implications for regulatory compliance. A strong focus will be placed on ethical principles, such as transparency, accountability, and fairness, and how these principles guide AI regulation and development. Students will also critically analyse the balance between regulation and innovation within the AI landscape. This includes examining the role and effectiveness of regulatory sandboxes as a means to foster innovation while ensuring compliance and addressing potential risks. Additionally, students will develop robust critical thinking and interdisciplinary skills, enabling them to evaluate AI policies and their impacts on society. They will engage with policy debates and explore the ongoing tension between encouraging technological advancement and implementing necessary regulatory measures to protect societal interests.

Course contents

1. Regulatory Challenges:

• Ethics vs. Law: Understanding the intersection.
• High-level regulatory approaches and principles of trustworthy AI.
• Core principles: Human agency, oversight, technical robustness, safety, privacy, transparency, diversity, non-discrimination, fairness, societal well-being, accountability.

2. Regulatory Approaches to AI:

• Hard law: Regulating through sanctions for violations.
• Compliance by design as a proactive strategy.
• Compliance focusing on risk assessment and mitigation.
• Case Study: AI creativity and copyright - future of intellectual property rights.

3. To Regulate or Not to Regulate? Is This the Question? Exploring Paradigms:

• Comparative analysis of AI regulations in the EU, USA, China, and Africa.
• In-depth study of the AI Act.

4. Governance of AI in Europe:

• Exploring AI governance structures and their integration with political systems.
• Challenges and opportunities in developing coherent AI policies.

5. AI and Innovation:

• Exploring the relationship between regulation and AI innovation.
• Debates on whether law can support or hinder AI development and progress.

Readings/Bibliography

Mandatory: Justin B. Bullock, Yu-Che Chen (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of AI Governance, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2024 (chap. 1: "AI Governance: Overview and Theoretical Lenses")

Optional: Dignum, V. (2026). AI Paradox: How to Make Sense of a Complex Future, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2026 (chap. 5 "The Regulation Paradox")

Other readings will be provided during the course.

Teaching methods

The lectures will either cover course contents or will consist in the reading and commenting of a text related to those contents.

Further information about the course will be provided in class and published online. Seminars and side lectures could be indicated during the course.

The slides and other teaching materials will be made available during the course.

Assessment methods

The learning assessment takes place through the final exam which consists of one-hour-and-half written test consisting of 3 open-ended questions on the entire course contents.

Each question allows to obtain from 0 to a maximum of 10 points which contribute to determining the final grade. The test is passed with a minimum score of 18 points.

The test aims to verify the acquired knowledge on the basic and advanced concepts covered in the course. The acquired knowledge, the critical and methodological skills of the student, the ability to connect parts of the program in an interdisciplinary way will be evaluated. Particular attention will be paid to the integrated vision of the discipline.

The test takes place without the possibility of consulting books, notes, digital tools, under penalty of annulment of the test itself.

Teaching tools

These include handouts summarizing the main course topics, the reading and commenting of texts in class, and tests by which to assess student performance.

All the information relative to the course, along with any notice the instructors may give, as well as any supplemental course material, will be available online.

Office hours

See the website of Antonino Rotolo