Sabbatical Peggy Valcke: SPARKLE+

Echoing the statements made about the Internet thirty years ago, artificial intelligence (AI) is today claimed to have transformative powers in all sectors of society. AI will pervade, and actually is already pervading, every part of business, government, human interaction and communication, changing the information that we receive, the choices that we make, and the ways in which our societies function. Even though it is absolutely essential to distinguish hype from reality, it cannot be denied that AI has the power to help change the world for the better, or for the worse. Grasping the opportunities these technologies can bring, while containing threats they may pose, is a challenge that requires a multi-faceted and interdisciplinary dialogue. In various research streams, and in close interaction with social scientists and technical experts (in the context of Leuven.AI, the Flemish Strategic Research Programme on AI and Cyber Security, or H2020 projects), my team is currently studying a host of relevant legal-ethical questions arising from the development and use of AI. These topics range from algorithmic accountability, privacy in the context of AI-driven biometric technologies, democracy and free speech in an era of fake news, predictive legal analytics, bias and fairness in machine learning, data governance in federated machine learning, etc. The objective of this sabbatical project is twofold: to explore synergies between the different research streams under my supervision in order to develop a blueprint for Tackling Security, Privacy and Autonomy risKs through Legal Engineering (SPARKLE), and – as the fast pace at which information technology and data analytics evolve, urge for novel, interdisciplinary research – to develop a methodology for the training of a next generation of researchers who have an all-round understanding of the (technological, legal, ethical and societal) issues involved.