Call for Submissions: Global AI & Regulation Emerging Scholars Workshop and Paper Award 2023

We invite emerging scholars in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and regulation to participate in a workshop where they will have the opportunity to discuss their draft paper with leading scholars in the field of AI and the law. 
The workshop aims to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among scholars in the field of artificial intelligence and regulation, and provide emerging researchers with valuable feedback on draft papers on the development of legal frameworks and regulatory measures for the safe and responsible use of AI.

Each participating emerging scholar will receive feedback from at least one designated experienced reviewer, as well as from the other participants of the workshop, such that feedback could be incorporated before the paper is submitted for publication. In addition, a Scotiabank Global AI + Regulation Emerging Scholar prize of C$1,500 will be awarded to the best paper.

The workshop will be held on October 18, 2023 as a satellite event to the International AI + Society Conference to be hosted at the University of Ottawa on October 19-20, 2023. Participants in the emerging scholars workshop are invited to attend the AI + Society Conference.

Results of the previous global workshop are available here.

The workshop is open to emerging scholars in law or related public policy disciplines (e.g. graduate students at the Masters or PhD level, postdoctoral fellows as well as early-career lecturers or professors who  are not yet in tenure-track or permanent positions).

Since the goal of the workshop is to provide feedback, only unpublished papers are eligible (however publication in scholarship networks such as SSRN is allowed). Participants will be free to publish their work on any platform or publication channel after the workshop.

Papers must be written in English, and their topics should address the regulation of AI from a comparative or global perspective. Different countries are engaged in shaping the appropriate legal frameworks to account for the unique characteristics of AI. Be it in areas of liability, explainability, accountability, privacy, fairness, or others, diverse proposals have emerged from different jurisdictions for the desired legal regime and regulatory measures to promote the beneficial and safe usage of AI.

Eligible papers may address any of the principles mentioned above (fairness, accountability, etc.) and how they are governed or ought to be governed, as well as  insights from relevant global experience. For example, topics may include:

• Regulatory approaches taken by different jurisdictions with respect to AI, including AI development, design, deployment, usage, or oversight.
• Analysis of current or proposed regulatory frameworks to govern AI.
• Analysis of incentives, disincentives, and other considerations to be taken into account when shaping the appropriate AI-regulation policy.

An abstract of up to 2,500 characters (~400 words), in English, is to be submitted by July 16, 2023, on thesubmission form.

Selected authors will then be asked to submit their full paper, of up to 7,000 words (inclusive of footnotes) by September 15, 2023.

The workshop will take place on October 18, 2023 as a satellite event to the International AI + Society Conference to be hosted at the University of Ottawa on October 19-20, 2023. The recipient(s) of the best paper(s) award will be announced during the international conference. (In the case of co-authored papers, the prize will be equally split among all co-authors).

All abstract submissions will undergo a double-blind review process. To maximize your chances of acceptance, please do not discuss the substance of your proposal with any program and/or review committee members.

Any questions (notably should you want to verify eligibility) should be directed to [email protected].

At least one  author of each accepted paper should plan to present their work at the workshop. We will waive all conference fees for one author of each accepted paper.

We should also be able to provide travel funding for one author per accepted paper. Thanks to the Government of Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), funding is available to allow emerging researchers from the majority world/low and middle-income countries to attend the conference. In addition, travel support should be available for authors through the Scotiabank Fund for the AI + Society Initiative at the University of Ottawa.

The funding will cover travel costs to Ottawa, as well as accommodation. Subject to available funds, partial funding may be offered to additional applicants.

While paper submissions will be assessed independently on scientific merits only, requests for funding should be presented at the time of submission of the proposal.

Led by Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau and Dr. Teresa Scassa, the paper competition and workshop selection committee will include renowned scholars in the field of AI from across the globe.

The AI + Society Initiative aims at defining problems and identifying solutions to essential issues related to ethical AI and technology development. The research leverages a transdisciplinary approach to advance AI methods and tools, with a focus on their responsible applications.

The Initiative promotes an inclusive research agenda with a specific focus on avoiding the amplification of global digital injustices through AI for affected communities. The research will include many important voices such as women, youth, seniors, Indigenous People, LGBTQIA2S+, visible minorities, people with disabilities, and linguistic minorities – and those at the intersection of these identities.

The Initiative offers students new opportunities to gain experience, locally and abroad, in an emerging field that will have profound implications on Canadian society in the years to come. The Initiative’s outreach includes lectures, conferences and workshops, training, tools, frameworks, and white papers that will help develop global thought leadership on AI and society.

While being grounded in rigorous evidence-based academic research, most outreach (public lectures, training, tools, white papers, reports) will be developed with the general public in mind, so non-academic stakeholders can take ownership, and implement them, to have a transformative impact within their communities.

The Global AI + Regulation Emerging Scholars Workshop, and the Scotiabank Global AI + Regulation Emerging Scholar Award are made possible thanks to the support of the Scotiabank Fund for the AI + Society Initiative at the University of Ottawa.