GPI Workshop: Democracy, Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law

This event brings together academic and policy experts to engage with key legal and policy challenges arising from AI in a global context.

The programme features a keynote address by Dr Kamel El Hilali from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) alongside panel discussions examining the geopolitical dimensions of AI regulation, the role of judicial AI, and empirical approaches to understanding ambiguity in legislative drafting.

The workshop will take place in PCL 048, the Palatine Centre, on Monday, 4 May 2026. The event is hybrid and open to all.

Workshop Agenda

· 9.45 am –10.00 am: Welcome and opening remarks

· 10.00 am – 10.45 am: Keynote Speech on AI & the Judiciary: A Global Perspective

Speaker: Dr Kamel El Hilali, AI & the Rule of Law Specialist, Digital Policies and Digital Transformation Section, UNESCO

Session Chair: Dr Kaspar Ludvigsen, Assistant Professor, Durham University

· 10.45 am – 11.00 am: Coffee break

· 11.00 am – 12.00 pm: Panel presentations and Comments

Speakers:

Prof. Ben Farrand, Professor in Law & Emerging Technologies & Deputy Head of Newcastle Law School, Newcastle University

Dr Zhiyu Li, Associate Professor in Law and Policy & Thematic Lead in Global Innovation and AI, Global Policy Institute, Durham University

Dr Moritz Osnabrügge, Associate Professor in Quantitative Comparative Politics & Director, Centre for Institutions and Political Behaviour, School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University

Commentators:

Dr Stergios Aidinlis, Associate Professor in AI Law, Durham University

Dr Jessie Blackbourn, Associate Professor in Public Law and Human Rights, Durham University

Prof. Robert Schütze, Professor of European and Global Law & Co-Director in the Global Policy Institute Journal, Durham University (Online)

Session Chair: Dr Mauricio Figueroa, Lecturer (CDF) in IP and Technology Law, Durham University

· 12.00 pm – 12.30 pm: Panel discussion and closing remarks