A mix of data research, artificial intelligence and archaeology led to lively discussions on 31 January. On that day the unique event 'AI & Data Science @ Archaeology' took place in which the Data Science Research Programme (DSRP), SAILS and the Faculty of Archaeology joined forces.

Friso Selten recently started a PhD position that is part of the SAILS program. This PhD project is a collaboration between FGGA, LIACS, and eLaw, and is supervised by Bram Klievink (FGGA), Joost Broekens (LIACS), and Francien Deschene (eLaw). In the project Friso will investigate the influence of artificial intelligence within public organizations with a specific focus on decision-making processes. ‘I became particularly enthusiastic about the topic of AI and its application in the public sector while studying for a Master's degree in Data Science at the University of Amsterdam. This inspired me to follow the research master's in Public Administration and Organisational Science at Utrecht University. In this program, I primarily focused on the impact that algorithms have within the street-level bureaucracy. I hope to further investigate these and other aspects of the connection between AI, public administration, and ethics in this PhD project.’

In an interview with Jaap van den Herik, Professor emeritus Law and IT, legal magazine Mr. writes that The Hague municipality wants to attract more legal tech start-ups. The municipality has therefore commissioned the Leiden Centre of Data Science (LCDS) of Leiden University to conduct a study into the use of legal tech in The Hague.

We are very honoured to announce that on the 1st July Bart Custers has been appointed Professor of Law and Data Science and has thus become the first Professor in the new 'stimuleringsprogramma' SAILS.

The more people are vaccinated, the more society can slowly reopen. Technological developments, like the Covid passport and other apps, can play a role in this. Artificial Intelligence could help greatly in developing the vaccine passport and the Covid-19 exposure notification app, Anne Meuwese and Bart Custers claimed in Dutch newspaper Trouw on 1 April 2021.