Quo Vadis AI?

In 2021, the conference “Quo Vadis EU (Law)?” inaugurated the second edition of Bocconi’s LLM in European Business and Social Law and brought to a successful end its 2020/2021 cohort.  In the first edition, we analysed the unparalleled challenges that the EU has been facing in the past years, notably the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the rule of law backsliding, the disruption that digital technologies bring about, and the ever-changing role of the internal market. 

The years 2021 and 2022 have not been less demanding than 2020, and we continued the discussion on how the EU is grappling with the pressing crises it is facing by both exploring subjects that we considered last year and investigating new crucial matters. On the one hand, we brought the discussion further on the way the EU is (or strives for) regulating emerging and disrupting digital phenomena, such as AI and data-driven economy. On the other hand, we explored issues that prompt urgent responses on the part of the EU: such as enlargement and migration, the energy crisis and the green transition and their interaction with climate change

After its success, in 2022 “Quo Vadis EU (Law)?” hosted a second edition gathering scholars from prestigious European institutions. Finally, in 2024, a team led by Prof. Mantagani and Rosalba Famà organized in cooperation with the University of Lapland the third edition of “Quo Vadis EU (Law)?” dedicated to the challenges of the green transition.  

The third edition held in 2023 of  “Quo Vadis EU (Law)?” was devoted to the climate crisis and how the law evolved to address climate change issues. The conference has explored these themes on four panels by bringing together established academics, early career researchers, and junior scholars with a research agenda in EU law, sustainability, and environmental law.

Based on the conversation we started during the last years, we aim to bring that discussion further with the fourth edition of “Quo Vadis AI?”. The fourth edition of “Quo Vadis” could be dedicated to Artificial Intelligence. Given the adoption by the EU of the Artificial Intelligence Act, we believe it is urgent to discuss it deeply and start a reflection on the impact it will have in the law field and teaching law.