Melanie Fink organised Panel Discussion on AI in the EU and Access to Justice
On 28 January 2022, the Department of Legal Studies (Central European University), the Europa Institute (Leiden University), and the ESIL Interest Group ‘The EU as a Global Actor’ hosted an Expert Panel Discussion on the topic 'AI in the EU and Access to Justice'.
Reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) for assistance in decision-making is on the rise. While new technologies can help make EU bureaucracy more efficient, automating public power may also endanger fundamental values in EU law. These include not just substantive rights, such as data protection and non-discrimination, but also cover rules and mechanisms that evolved for decades to control public power, including the principle of legality, transparency, due process, the right to a reasoned decision, and accountability. The automation of government challenges and disrupts these models, often leaving the individuals affected in a vulnerable position.
The fundamental question this panel discussed is how the use of AI by the EU administration affects individuals’ access to justice. Do the current rules, models, and procedures set up in the EU legal system to ensure individuals can meaningfully object to and challenge public power still work in the face of automation?
The speakers were Dr Cameran Ashraf (CEU / Wikimedia Foundation), Professor Madalina Busuioc (VU), Dr Tamás Molnár (FRA), and Professor Sofia Ranchordas (University of Groningen / LUISS). The event was moderated by Dr Clara Rauchegger (University of Innsbruck) and Dr Melanie Fink (CEU / Leiden University).
A report on the discussion with links to relevant works of the authors is out on Leiden Law Blog and can be accessed here.