Fall 2023 Symposium

STLR Fall 2023 Symposium: 

The 2023 Columbia Science & Technology Law Review Symposium was titled “Accountability and Liability in Generative AI: Challenges and Perspectives.” The event was co-sponsored by Columbia’s brand new program on Science, Technology & Intellectual Property Law (STIPL) and aimed to explore the potential legal consequences of generative AI systems across different disciplines.

In an era where generative AI is quickly reshaping industries and society, understanding its legal implications across fields such as privacy, intellectual property, antidiscrimination, and product liability is paramount. The Symposium featured presentations representing a wide range of viewpoints on how the harms resulting from generative AI may be addressed through civil liability and institutional accountability.

The Symposium was held at Columbia Law School on Friday, November 17, 2023, from 10 AM - 5 PM. 

Featured Authors

Mark Lemley, Stanford Law School

Paul Ohm, Georgetown University Law Center

Catherine Sharkey, NYU School of Law

Alicia Solow-Niederman, The George Washington University Law School

Alice Xiang, Global Head of AI Ethics at Sony

Christopher Yoo, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

 

Featured Commentators

Shyamkrishna Balganesh, Columbia Law School

Talia Gillis, Columbia Law School

Thomas Merrill, Columbia Law School

Matthew Sag, Emory University School of Law

Eric Talley, Columbia Law School

Tim Wu, Columbia Law School

 

This symposium was free to all attendees. Registration was required. 

 

Symposium Schedule 

10:00 - 10:30:  Registration

10:30 - 10:40: Opening Remarks

10:40 – 11:25:  The Limitations of Algorithmic Transparency

  • Author: Christopher Yoo, John H. Chestnut Professor of Law, Communication, and Computer & Information Science, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
  • Commentator: Eric Talley, Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law, Columbia Law School

11:25-11:40:  Morning Break

11:40-12:25:  How Generative AI Turns Copyright Upside Down

  • Author: Mark Lemley, William H. Neukom Professor of Law, Stanford Law School
  • Commentator: Matthew Sag, Professor of Law and Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science, Emory University School of Law

12:25 - 1:30:  Lunch 

1:30-2:15:  Fairness and Privacy in an Age of Generative AI

  • Author: Alice Xiang, Global Head of AI Ethics at Sony
  • Commentator: Talia Gillis, Associate Professor of Law and Milton Handler Fellow, Columbia Law School

2:15-3:00:  A Products Liability Framework for AI

  • Author: Catherine Sharkey, Segal Family Professor of Regulatory Law and Policy, NYU School of Law
  • Commentator: Thomas Merrill, Charles Evans Hughes Professor of Law, Columbia Law School

3:00-3:20:  Afternoon Break

3:20-4:05:  Do Cases Generate Bad AI Law?

  • Author: Alicia Solow-Niederman, Associate Professor of Law, The George Washington University Law School
  • Commentator: Shyamkrishna Balganesh, Sol Goldman Professor of Law, Columbia Law School

4:05 - 4:50:  Focusing On Fine-Tuning: New Pathways for Fixing What Is Wrong with Generative AI

  • Author: Paul Ohm, Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center
  • Commentator: Timothy Wu, Julius Silver Professor of Law, Science and Technology, Columbia Law School

4:50 - 5:00:  Closing Remarks

5:00 - 6:00: Refreshments