CJIL Symposium to Examine Technological Innovation in Global Governance
Scholars from across the country will convene at the Law School on Friday, January 31 to examine how international law is keeping pace with the rapidly growing technological innovations that are fundamentally changing the way we interact with and operate in the world.
Hosted by The University of Chicago Journal of International Law, the symposium will explore the topic through three panels that will analyze technology as a “creator,” “facilitator,” and “destroyer” in the context of a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) that is slowly sweeping our world. Coined by the founder of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, the “4IR” is marked by digitization permeating every aspect of our lives, creating a fusion of the physical, digital, and biological worlds.
Some of the questions the symposium will tackle include:
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What are the implications of these technological advancements on the future of global governance and international law?
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Can international law play a role in creating solutions to the disruptive changes that technology imposes on society?
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As new technologies continue to emerge, how should the international legal community react?
Technology as Facilitator
Moderating this panel will be Priyanka Motaparthy, clinical professor and director of the Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law. The “Facilitator” panel will explore the ways in which technologies could facilitate international lawyering.
Panelists include Duncan B. Hollis (Temple University’s Beasley School of Law) and Ashley Deeks (University of Virginia School of Law) discussing large language models and international law; Melissa J. Durkee (Washington University) who will talk about pledging as a new form of international ordering; and Winthrop Wells (International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law), who will discuss emerging technologies and evidence in future armed conflict.
Technology as Creator
Moderated by Assistant Professor of Law Bridget Fahey, this panel will address international regulations in outer space. Panelists include Frans von der Dunk (University of Nebraska School of Law), who will discuss the unique challenges of applying law to outer space exploration and space activities; and Charles W. Stotler (University of Mississippi School of Law) who will present on Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty.
Technology as Destroyer
Lastly, with armed conflicts continuing to impact millions globally each year, this panel, moderated by Harry A. Bigelow Fellow Michele Krech, will explore how emerging technologies will dictate why and how future conflicts will be waged—especially in light of risks posed by 4IR.
Panel experts include Laurie R. Blank (Emory University School of Law), who will discuss the law of armed conflict in the dark; and James E. Baker (Syracuse University College of Law), who will discuss disruptive technology and the law of naval warfare.
The symposium keynote will be presented by Paul B. Stephan, the John C. Jeffries, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Law from the University of Virginia School of Law, with an introduction by UChicago’s Tom Ginsburg, the Leo Spitz Distinguished Service Professor of International Law.
For the full schedule and list of speakers, visit the symposium’s event page.