Regulation of artificial intelligence

Key people

• Frauke RostalskiJurist and university teacher
• Ko Hak-sooChair of the PIPC since 2022
• Einat AlbinIsraeli law scholar

Timeline

• 2016Since 2016, numerous AI ethics guidelines have been published in order to maintain social control over the technology.
• 2019One of the first specific instruments issued was the CONPES 3920 of 2019, the National Policy on Exploitation of Data (Big Data).
• 2020In February 2020, the European Union published a white paper for promoting and regulating AI.
• 2022In June 2022, the government of Canada started a second phase of the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
• 2023In May 2023, a new bill was passed, superseding the 2021 bill.

Read

• Regulating Artificial Intelligence in IndustryDamian M. Bielicki · 2021Book
• Fintech Artificial Intelligence and the LawAlison Lui · 2021Book
• We, the Robots?Simon Chesterman · 2021Book
• Artificial Intelligence and International Economic LawShin-yi Peng · 2021Book

Listen

• AI ReportAlexander Klöpping en Wietse HagePodcast
• {ungeskriptet} - Der Meinungsfreiheit verpflichtet.Ben BerndtPodcast
• The FARcast: Navigating Federal Acquisition Regulations with AIChief Digital and Artificial Intelligence OfficePodcast

Voices to follow

• Sahibpreet Singh@sahib_laws · XIndian lawyer and doctoral researcher in AI and criminal law
• Jon Chun@jonchun2000 · XAmerican AI research scientist and entrepreneur

By the numbers

• 27.2Women in parliament (%) — global, 2025 (World Bank)

Debates

• Should AI be regulated by adapting existing laws or by creating entirely new legal frameworks?One view: Existing laws, like product liability or privacy regulations, can be adapted to address AI challenges without reinventing the wheel. · Another: AI's unique characteristics, such as autonomy and learning capabilities, necessitate new, specific laws designed for its complexities.Open question
• Who should be held primarily liable when an AI system causes harm: the developer, the deployer, or the user?One view: The developer should bear primary liability, as they design, train, and control the core functionality of the AI system. · Another: The deployer or user should be primarily liable, as they make the decision to implement or use the AI in a specific context.Open question
• Should governments impose a temporary pause or strict limits on advanced AI development?One view: A temporary pause or strict limits are necessary to allow time for robust safety protocols and regulatory frameworks to catch up with rapid AI progress. · Another: Pausing or limiting AI development could stifle innovation, hinder economic growth, and put nations at a disadvantage globally.Open question

Glossary

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)Computer systems designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as learning, problem-solving, and decision-making.
• Algorithmic BiasSystematic and unfair prejudice in an AI system's output, often due to biased data used during its training.
• Data PrivacyThe right of individuals to control how their personal information is collected, stored, used, and shared by AI systems and organizations.
• AccountabilityThe obligation for individuals or organizations to explain and take responsibility for the actions and impacts of AI systems.
• TransparencyThe ability to understand how an AI system works, including its data inputs, decision-making processes, and potential biases.
• LiabilityLegal responsibility for harm or damage caused by an AI system, determining who must compensate for losses.

Careers

Roles this can lead toward

Student research

Published policy papers by One Young India delegates — every delegate leaves published under their own name.

• Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Prevent Armed Conflict through Predictive Trade PoliciesDaivik Suri
• The Future of Cybersecurity: Is Artificial Intelligence a Friend or Foe?Pradhyumna Prakash
• Transforming Education Through Artificial Intelligence: Personalization, Accessibility, and Efficiency in the 21st Century ClassroomSrinja Mallik
• Artificial Intelligence in Businesses Decision MakingAanya Kapur

Threads 6

Where this connects to other fields — and why it's worth knowing.

• AI Governance Global Risks

  New technology comes with a nasty catch called the Collingridge dilemma. Early on, it's easy to steer but you can't yet see what harm it'll cause. By the time the harm is obvious, the tech is so woven into daily life you can't steer it anymore. Too soon to know, too late to fix.

• AI & Writing Literature

  Copyright law was built on one assumption: a human wrote it. AI that writes poems and stories breaks that assumption in half. Now judges have to decide brand-new questions, like whether a machine's words can even be owned, and whether feeding it thousands of books to learn from counts as stealing.

• Craft, Fashion & the Made Object Arts

  You can't copyright a dress design, so anyone can legally knock it off, which sounds like it should kill fashion. Instead it does the opposite: copies spread fast, trends burn out, and designers must keep inventing the next new look. The lack of protection is exactly what keeps the whole industry racing forward, the 'piracy paradox.'

• Metaphysics Philosophy

  The dusty question 'what counts as a person?' suddenly has teeth, because a court in New Zealand granted a river legal personhood, meaning someone can sue on its behalf. Now the same puzzle hangs over AI. Deciding what's 'really' a person stops being a debate and starts deciding who's allowed into a courtroom.

• Artificial Intelligence & the Mind Psychology

  If a computer could truly think, courts would face a wild question: can it have rights, and who's to blame when it messes up? Weirdly, we've done this before, we already decided that a company counts as a kind of 'person' who can be sued. That same personhood puzzle, once fought over corporations, is being reopened for code.

• AI Art Arts

  The fight over whether AI can make art you're allowed to own sounds brand new, but it's a rerun. Back in 1884, courts had to decide whether a photograph, made by a machine, could count as real, ownable art, and photography won. That 140-year-old ruling is now being aimed straight at AI image generators. The law's been here before.