Harvard scholars are tackling the complex issues surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) and the law. Ifeoma Ajunwa, a faculty associate at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, is at the forefront of this discussion. As the Asa Griggs Campbell Professor of Law at Emory Law School and the founding director of Emory's AI and the Future of Work program, Ajunwa is an AI ethics consultant for Fortune 500 companies. In an interview, Ajunwa explained how the legal profession initially approached AI and the law. The first concerns centered around the concept of AI as a black box, which poses a challenge for the law. The law typically requires understanding who is responsible and proximate cause, but a black box can make this difficult. Notable academics, such as Cornell University Professor of Law Frank Pasquale, have written about the implications of AI in the financial industry, particularly in terms of data brokers and access to credit. As the field evolved, questions about liability arose. How do existing laws operate when AI is serving as a service provider? The discussion has shifted to the role of the law in shaping a better vision for AI in society. Scholars are grappling with the responsibility of AI agents, protecting job applicants from AI bias, and the meaning of due process in cases involving AI. These are complex issues that require exhaustive scrutiny and debate. The Harvard community is well-positioned to tackle these questions, with experts like Ajunwa leading the way. The conversation around AI and the law is ongoing, and it will be interesting to see how it unfolds.
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Prepared with AI assistance; not independently fact-checked. Original source: Harvard Gazette