Overview
The 2021 Brussels Privacy Symposium is the fifth-annual academic program jointly presented by the Brussels Privacy Hub of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and is a global convening of practical, applicable, substantive privacy research and scholarship.
On November 16, 2021, the Brussels Privacy Symposium, “The Age of AI Regulation: Global Strategic Directions”, will occur as a virtual international meeting where policymakers, academic researchers, and civil society will discuss how the EU and other jurisdictions around the world envision fostering the deployment of, but also addressing the risks to fundamental rights posed by, artificial intelligence (AI) systems through regulation.
The development and use of AI systems of various degrees of complexity are seemingly becoming ubiquitous and are already having an impact on the daily lives of individuals – as consumers, employees, taxpayers, parents, students, and so forth. While some existing national and regional data protection and sectoral laws already place restrictions on some uses of AI-based solutions, legislators in several jurisdictions have started to put forward proposals that tackle specific challenges brought by AI technology.
Earlier this year, the European Commission proposed a first-of-its-kind comprehensive legal framework for AI systems, which proposes a risk-based approach, scaling legal obligations to the severity of risks that specific AI systems may pose. The framework is generally centered around ensuring such systems function safely for the health and fundamental rights of individuals, and with appropriate human oversight. This approach – which also includes prohibiting certain particularly high-risk AI practices – may serve as an inspiration for policymakers in other jurisdictions. But we are already seeing different approaches to AI regulation in different parts of the world – such as the US, Brazil, and China, in accordance with local traditions, legal systems, and economic priorities.
In this year’s Brussels Privacy Symposium (which will take place online), leading rule-makers, lawyers, academics, and civil society representatives will discuss the merits and potential flaws of the EU’s and other jurisdictions’ approaches to AI regulation, and see whether common global principles exist or need further development.