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