April 2, 2024
The Institute for Law, Technology & Innovation at Florida State University’s College of Law partnered with Holland & Knight LLP in Washington, D.C., to host an informative and thought-provoking symposium on artificial intelligence.
The half-day conference brought together academics, policy market regulators, and thought leaders from around the world to discuss the promises and perils of artificial intelligence. Held at Holland & Knight’s offices in Washington on April 2, 2024, the symposium had 1,000 attendees attend virtually and in-person. Several FSU Law students made the trip to Washington to attend as well.
The event consisted of three panels and a keynote address. The first panel provided a broad overview of AI, its current capabilities and limitations, and the challenges and opportunities it presents. The panel included Shawn Bayern, Larry & Joyce Beltz professor and associate dean for technology at FSU Law; Keith Sonderling, commissioner on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and Rich Harper, partner in charge of Baker Botts’s New York office and AI practice group leader; and was moderated by Da’Morus Cohen, a partner in Holland & Knight’s Miami office. The panelists discussed the amorphous definition of AI, misconceptions around the emerging technology, and possible upcoming breakthroughs. A theme of the discussion was the need for human engagement with, and judgment regarding, AI.
The second conversation addressed the legal and regulatory issues of AI. The panelists were David Vladeck, A.B. Chettle chair in civil procedure at Georgetown Law Center; Michael Atleson, senior attorney at the Federal Trade Commission; and Kwamina Williford, a partner at Holland & Knight and co-chair of the firm’s consumer protection defense and compliance team. FSU Law alumnus Anthony DiResta, co-chair of Holland & Knight’s consumer protection defense and compliance team and a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C., and Miami offices, moderated the panel. The discussion addressed a variety of topics, including how to build appropriate regulatory guardrails and the applicability of existing laws to AI, the approaches that regulators and Congress probably will (or will not) take, and who is accountable when AI is used.
The final panel, about the implications of AI, consisted of Michael Frank, who until recently was a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Kashmir Hill, tech reporter at the New York Times and author of Your Face Belongs to Us; and Hodan Omaar, senior policy analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Brian Goodrich, a partner and regulatory attorney at Holland & Knight, moderated. The panelists discussed some of their optimistic—and less optimistic—outlooks for AI’s impact on business and society. They also cited examples of how AI has been deployed already, and how it has had little-known or unforeseen consequences. One theme of the conversation was the need for well-crafted public policy responses to AI.
Anu Bradford, Henry L. Moses professor of law and international organization at Columbia Law School, concluded the symposium with a lively and challenging keynote address. Bradford, who recently authored the acclaimed book Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology, applied her book’s theories and findings to the AI context. “There is a global consensus that technology should be regulated, but not what that regulation should look like,” she began, before describing the intensifying global battle among the three dominant digital “empires”—the United States, China, and the European Union. She also outlined how, in addition to the “horizontal” battles among those three, there are “vertical” conflicts within each empire. These interconnected battles will have far-reaching implications not just for AI, but for the future of liberal democracy itself, Bradford contended.
Aaron Voloj Dessauer, the inaugural executive director of the Institute of Law, Technology & Innovation, said, “This symposium brought together an esteemed group of experts to explore the crucial legal, regulatory, and societal implications of artificial intelligence. The insights shared and connections made will help guide the responsible development and governance of this transformative technology. We are grateful to our friends at Holland & Knight for their partnership in advancing this important dialogue."
This symposium marks the first Washington, D.C. event for the Institute for Law, Technology & Innovation, which previously hosted events in Tallahassee, Miami, and New York City.