The symposium is organised by Professor Dimitrios Giannoulopoulos, the new Head of Department (Academic Programmes), and he is greatly looking forward to meeting in person for the first time some of our students.
This one day symposium brings together academic scholars from City Law School (and Law Schools in the UK, Continental Europe and the United States), legal practitioners, NGO experts and policy makers, to explore opportunities in the proliferation of AI and modern technologies in the criminal process, while drawing particular attention to their human rights implications and investigating solutions about how to confront such implications.
The symposium adopts a chronological approach to the criminal process, which will allow the participants to review the use of AI and modern technologies across its various stages, from police investigations, the questioning of suspects and the gathering of electronic communications to the digitalisation of criminal trials, the use of digital technologies as evidence and use of AI in sentencing.
It also aims to expose the participants to the latest developments in AI technologies (inviting them to reflect on potential future solutions for regulating its use - or stopping it altogether - within the criminal process) as well as developments in international human rights law that aim to counter such developments and moderate their impact.
Professor Brandon Garrett, of Duke University School of Law, will deliver the keynote address, on Due process and fairness in the time of AI, drawing on his recently published monograph on Defending Due Process: Why Fairness Matters in a Polarized World (Polity, 2024). Professor Garrett's book starts by documenting major due process (fair trial) failures in the US, how these especially affect poor and vulnerable people, and how, in a society with deep social and political divisions, we tend to turn a blind eye to the unfair treatment of such people. The book then sounds the alarm, about how 'the rise of AI threatens what remains of due process with black-box technology' and attempts to 'convince [the reader] to appreciate the centrality of due process to our lives'. 'Common ground on due process matters now more than ever, to mend political polarization, to cool simmering distrust of government, and to safeguard our constitutional rights', he concludes. Professor Garrett's observations are not true solely of the United States; they rather resonate strongly with debates on criminal justice, human rights, technology and political polarisation in the UK, Europe and beyond, and will therefore attract particular attention in this symposium.
Given the breadth of subjects covered, range of experts involved and emphasis on modern technological developments, this symposium will be of interest to scholars across several fields, from criminal procedure and evidence, criminology, international human rights and AI law to political and computer science. It will also be of strong interest to NGO experts, criminal justice policy makers, AI/technology experts and legal professionals.
The symposium warmly welcomes the participation of University students (from City St George's and other Universities) and members of the public. City Law School students across all levels and programmes are strongly encouraged to attend.
Programme
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