Professor Katie Atkinson, Dean of the University’s School of Electrical Engineering Electronics and Computer Science and an expert in the development of artificial intelligence for the legal sector, has been appointed to the Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board (AIAB) for the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ).
Professor Atkinson is one of five members appointed from across Europe for a two year term to the CEPEJ AIAB, which provides expert advice on AI related issues in the judicial environment.
The AIAB was established in 2022 to support the CEPEJ to monitor the emergence of AI applications in the justice sector and to implement related strategies as well as to contribute to the reflection on the use of AI in justice systems with respect to fundamental rights.
Professor Atkinson has more than two decades of experience in this emerging sector, and her specific research focus is on computational argumentation for modelling legal reasoning.
She served as President of the International Association for AI and Law in 2016 and 2017 and in 2020 was appointed to the LawtechUK panel, a government backed initiative to help transform the UK legal sector through technology.
Last week, she was one of the key note speakers at a LawtechUK event which took place in Liverpool supported by Weightmans and the Liverpool Law Society.
The event, which attracted nearly 100 delegates from law firms, tech businesses, start-ups, legal professionals, investors, government officials and academics, provided an overview on the latest trends, challenges and opportunities in the lawtech ecosystem.
The event also provided insights from Katie and other AI and legal experts including Jeremy Marshall, from the University’s School of Law and Social Justice, who spoke about legal education and responding to the challenges and opportunities presented by legal technology.
In addition, Professor Atkinson recently co-authored an article with Noah Milton from Fletchers Group which shines a spotlight on how AI research and partnerships are driving forward significant benefits for law firms and clients.
You can read the article here > Insights: Improving access to justice through explainable AI research and innovation | Law Gazette