LLB341 Artificial Intelligence, Robots and the Law
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | LLB341 |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite(s): | LLH201 |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $2,040 |
| Pre-2021 CSP student contribution | $1,597 The pre-2021 commonwealth supported place (CSP) contribution amount only applies to students enrolled in a course prior to 2021. To learn more, visit our Understanding your fees page. |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $3,024 |
| International unit fee | $4,044 |
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Gardens Point, Internal
| Unit code: | LLB341 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | LLH201 |
| Coordinator: | Michael Guihot | michael.guihot@qut.edu.au |
Overview
As new technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics become more infused in our business, government and social lives, difficult legal, ethical, regulatory and policy questions arise. Developments in machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and robotics raise interesting and urgent issues surrounding the regulation of automated decision-making, privacy, liability and insurance, competition and consumer regimes, and the future of work. This unit considers the application of existing legal and regulatory principles but also the possible need for new principles and regulatory tools. Students will consider developments and innovations in these new technologies, and how the law might be asked to respond.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Explain the different targets of regulation and methods of regulating new technology to both specialist and lay audiences (CLOs 1.3, 2.1, 4.1, 4.2)
- Research and critically analyse the legal risks and regulatory issues involved in adopting new technology and provide recommendations (CLOs 1.3, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1)
- Analyse and apply the key areas of law that govern individuals and businesses in their interactions with new technology to develop written solutions to practical problems (CLOs 1.3 2.1, 2.2)
- Critically evaluate the applicability and suitability of different regulatory options that reflect social and legal norms in relation to new technology (CLOs 1.3, 2.3, 4.1).
Content
This unit investigates a range of legal and policy questions arising with the governance of new technology including artificial intelligence and robotics. It will consider:
1. The fundamentals of artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics.
2. Legal challenges arising with artificial intelligence and robotics including: rights, responsibilities, allocation of liability, ethics, privacy, safety, and shifting social norms.
3. Regulatory challenges arising with artificial intelligence and robotics including whether the law keeps pace with new technology, what happens when laws lose connection to innovations in technology, and whether law is adequate to respond to socio-technical issues caused by developments in new technologies.
The following issues will be considered:
1. Automated decision-making;
2. Privacy: re-conceptualising and re-calibrating legal notions of privacy and shifting social norms in relation to the commercial applications of computer vision;
3. Liability and insurance;
4. Competition and consumer issues;
5. The future of work, including implications for the workforce generally and the legal profession specifically.
These issues are placed in sharp focus by the increased datafication of our lives, increased surveillance through computer vision; and developments in autonomous vehicles, home agents, and robots in the home such as health care robots, companion robots and sex robots.
Learning Approaches
This unit employs an active and collaborative approach to learning. It involves an online and face to face self-led learning practice and live workshops where you will learn from experts and your peers. Prior to the workshops, you will be supported and engaged in this unit through the delivery of weekly snapshots of unit material, podcasts, formative learning activities, and collaborative discussions that will introduce a range of practical and theoretical perspectives.
Your participation in the unit will include:
- Engagement with online materials
- Discussions on Canvas and in live and online workshops
- Collaboration with peers and experts to network and share your understanding
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- a range of formative exercises conducted in workshops online
- comments on your assessment in addition to criteria sheets
- criteria sheet grading
- general comments back to the cohort via QUT Canvas, and
- the option of private consultation with a member of the teaching team during student consultation.
Assessment
Overview
Assessment in this unit is both formative and summative. Assessment items are designed to develop students' professional skills in critical evaluation, collaboration and communication.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Memorandum of Advice
You will prompt a Generative AI tool (such as Microsoft CoPilot) to answer a question about a specific use of artificial intelligence in legal work. You will attach this Generative AI answer (and the questions and prompts that you used) as an appendix, with Generative AI clearly referenced as the source.
Then, in your own words without using the GenAI tool, in 2000 words, you will critically analyse the Generative AI answer for the accuracy of the answer against your own understandings and research of the risks, issues and regulatory challenges of the use of artificial intelligence in legal work.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Law Reform Submission
This assignment requires you to research and critically analyse the need for and likely impact of regulatory intervention in response to a new technology. You may have an opportunity to select from a range of topics of current relevance to the regulation of artificial intelligence and robots. You will need to communicate clearly and effectively and provide a concise summary of your advice.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.
Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Resource Materials
Prescribed text(s)
Michael Guihot and Lyria Bennett Moses, Artificial Intelligence, Robots and the Law, (LexisNexis, Chatswood, 2020).
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with this unit.
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Online
| Unit code: | LLB341 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | LLH201 |
Overview
As new technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics become more infused in our business, government and social lives, difficult legal, ethical, regulatory and policy questions arise. Developments in machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and robotics raise interesting and urgent issues surrounding the regulation of automated decision-making, privacy, liability and insurance, competition and consumer regimes, and the future of work. This unit considers the application of existing legal and regulatory principles but also the possible need for new principles and regulatory tools. Students will consider developments and innovations in these new technologies, and how the law might be asked to respond.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Explain the different targets of regulation and methods of regulating new technology to both specialist and lay audiences (CLOs 1.3, 2.1, 4.1, 4.2)
- Research and critically analyse the legal risks and regulatory issues involved in adopting new technology and provide recommendations (CLOs 1.3, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1)
- Analyse and apply the key areas of law that govern individuals and businesses in their interactions with new technology to develop written solutions to practical problems (CLOs 1.3 2.1, 2.2)
- Critically evaluate the applicability and suitability of different regulatory options that reflect social and legal norms in relation to new technology (CLOs 1.3, 2.3, 4.1).
Content
This unit investigates a range of legal and policy questions arising with the governance of new technology including artificial intelligence and robotics. It will consider:
1. The fundamentals of artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics.
2. Legal challenges arising with artificial intelligence and robotics including: rights, responsibilities, allocation of liability, ethics, privacy, safety, and shifting social norms.
3. Regulatory challenges arising with artificial intelligence and robotics including whether the law keeps pace with new technology, what happens when laws lose connection to innovations in technology, and whether law is adequate to respond to socio-technical issues caused by developments in new technologies.
The following issues will be considered:
1. Automated decision-making;
2. Privacy: re-conceptualising and re-calibrating legal notions of privacy and shifting social norms in relation to the commercial applications of computer vision;
3. Liability and insurance;
4. Competition and consumer issues;
5. The future of work, including implications for the workforce generally and the legal profession specifically.
These issues are placed in sharp focus by the increased datafication of our lives, increased surveillance through computer vision; and developments in autonomous vehicles, home agents, and robots in the home such as health care robots, companion robots and sex robots.
Learning Approaches
This unit employs an active and collaborative approach to learning. It involves an online and face to face self-led learning practice and live workshops where you will learn from experts and your peers. Prior to the workshops, you will be supported and engaged in this unit through the delivery of weekly snapshots of unit material, podcasts, formative learning activities, and collaborative discussions that will introduce a range of practical and theoretical perspectives.
Your participation in the unit will include:
- Engagement with online materials
- Discussions on Canvas and in live and online workshops
- Collaboration with peers and experts to network and share your understanding
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- a range of formative exercises conducted in workshops online
- comments on your assessment in addition to criteria sheets
- criteria sheet grading
- general comments back to the cohort via QUT Canvas, and
- the option of private consultation with a member of the teaching team during student consultation.
Assessment
Overview
Assessment in this unit is both formative and summative. Assessment items are designed to develop students' professional skills in critical evaluation, collaboration and communication.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Memorandum of Advice
You will prompt a Generative AI tool (such as Microsoft CoPilot) to answer a question about a specific use of artificial intelligence in legal work. You will attach this Generative AI answer (and the questions and prompts that you used) as an appendix, with Generative AI clearly referenced as the source.
Then, in your own words without using the GenAI tool, in 2000 words, you will critically analyse the Generative AI answer for the accuracy of the answer against your own understandings and research of the risks, issues and regulatory challenges of the use of artificial intelligence in legal work.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Law Reform Submission
This assignment requires you to research and critically analyse the need for and likely impact of regulatory intervention in response to a new technology. You may have an opportunity to select from a range of topics of current relevance to the regulation of artificial intelligence and robots. You will need to communicate clearly and effectively and provide a concise summary of your advice.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.
Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Resource Materials
Prescribed text(s)
Michael Guihot and Lyria Bennett Moses, Artificial Intelligence, Robots and the Law, (LexisNexis, Chatswood, 2020).
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with this unit.