Smoke and Mirrors or Science? Teaching Law with Computers - A Reply to Cass Sunstein on Artificial Intelligence and Legal Science

The application of computer science in the law has largely, and productively, centered on educational programs and programs generating and managing databases and data management. Some limited work, however, has been done in the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) to present models of legal decision-making. The majority of the work involving AI in the law, as the majority of work in AI generally, has focused on developing expert systems. An expert system attempts to solve one problem, or one class of problems well and should be distinguished from general systems, which seek to solve any problem. While databases and didactic applications involve the most productive work being done, AI presents more complex and more interesting problems having the potential to further increase productivity. Therefore, while AI may still be in its infancy (as was all of computer science until twenty years ago), its intellectual vistas are potentially limitless

The Socio-economic Impacts of Framework Programmes in Transition Countries - A systemic Approach of Assessment Methods

This paper assesses the socio-economic impacts stemming from Research,Technological Development and Demonstration Framework Programmes (FPs) project participation in a transition economy. Some of the most significant impacts of Central and Eastern European participation in FPs can only be understood in the context of the changing national innovation systems (NIS). In other words, when assessing impacts, besides the ‘usual’ questions on product and process development, job creation, etc., a broader set of questions should be asked, concerning competences: managerial, project development, network and collaboration-building capabilities, i.e. the process, and elements, of organisational learning, broadly defined. Our main methodological argument is based on two underlying characteristics of the Hungarian NIS. First, it had been fragmented during the planned economy the academy-industry relations had been rather weak. Second, due to the overall socio-economic transition it is also in flux, some former links have been further damaged, while new players have appeared and new, stronger incentives have been put in place to form new partnerships. Behavioural and organisational ‘effects’ of FP participation are likely to be crucial – besides the ‘usual’ outputs and impacts. Our main policy conclusion is that it would well worth the effort to apply – a broader framework for impacts and effects to a larger, statistically representative sample. Thus a reliable description could be obtained, on which basis sound policy conclusions could also be drawn.

Entrepreneurship and regional development in Europe: a comparative, socio-anthropological case study in Germany and Spain

This paper summarises the design, data and results of our research on the emergence and consolidation of forms of institutionalisation based on innovative entrepreneurial action in rural European territorial contexts. The investigation was conducted between the years 2006 and 2010. We present data obtained in two territorial references, the regions of Los Pedroches in Andalusia, Spain and Mühldorf in Bavaria, Germany. The paper explores the contributions of social anthropology to prevailing economic entrepreneurship theory by focusing on intangible, cultural variables that influence the implementation of local entrepreneurial initiatives. Presenting data from a case study of two European rural areas of different levels of economic development, the text argues that entrepreneurial research needs to incorporate qualitative data on the sociocultural preconditions of emerging innovative institutions. The research emphasises the need for a broader concept of entrepreneurial behaviour that is able to overcome the reductionist idea of firm creation, and presents a theoretical model for actor-based territorial development studies founded on the combined social theories of Niklas Luhmann and Pierre Bourdieu.Prispevek predstavlja zasnovo, podatke in rezultate našega raziskovanja pojava ter konsolidacije oblik institucionalizacije, ki temeljijo na inovativnih podjetniških akcijah v ruralnih evropskih kontekstih. Zbiranje podatkov je potekalo med letoma 2006 in 2010, v prispevku pa so predstavljeni podatki dveh regij, Los Pedroches v Andaluziji, Španija ter Mühldorf na Bavarskem, Nemčija. Prispevek proučuje doprinose socialne antropologije k prevladujočim teorijam gospodarskega podjetništva, s tem, da se osredotoča na neoprijemljive, kulturne spremenljivke, ki vplivajo na implementacijo lokalnih podjetniških iniciativ. S predstavitvijo podatkov dveh evropskih ruralnih regij na različnih stopnjah ekonomskega razvoja, želimo pokazati, da preučevanje podjetništva zahteva vključitev kvalitativnih podatkov o družbeno-kulturnih predpogojih vzhajajočih inovativnih institucij. Raziskava poudarja potrebo po širšem konceptu podjetniškega vedenja, s katerim je mogoče preseči zgolj redukcionistično idejo ustanovitve podjetja ter predstaviti teoretski model študij razvoja regij, ki se osredotoča na akterje in temelji na kombinaciji družbenih teorij Niklasa Luhmanna ter Pierra Bourdieuja

AI reflections in 2020

We invited authors of selected Comments and Perspectives published in Nature Machine Intelligence in the latter half of 2019 and first half of 2020 to describe how their topic has developed, what their thoughts are about the challenges of 2020, and what they look forward to in 2021.Postprint (author's final draft

Philippic.com

A recent trend in so-called second generation legal commentary about the Internet suggests that, though it is an unparalleled communication medium and a means of engaging in global e-commerce, it is not an unmitigated force for good. Instead, the Net poses a fundamental danger to democracy. This trend takes shape in works by well-known cyberlaw theorists like Lawrence Lessig, Andrew Shapiro, and Neil Weinstock Netanel, but the most recent and most troubling criticism lies in Professor Cass Sunstein \u27s Republic.com. In this book, Professor Sunstein argues that perfect filtering of information on the Internet will lead to a fractured communications environment. He suggests that this fracturing will lead to group polarization, cascades of false information, and a concomitant rise in extremism. Governmental regulation of the Internet to reduce these features is therefore warranted, and desirable. He suggests that the appropriate regulatory responses should include setting up or supporting public environments for deliberation and debate on the Net, along with a series of disclosure and must-carry rules. This Review finds fault with almost every major feature of Sunstein \u27s argument. First, it dismisses his assumptions that perfect filtering on the Net is either likely to occur, is possible in the sense that he suggests, or is significantly different from the media filtering that we already experience. Second, it argues that Sunstein misapplies the social psychology literature on group polarization toward more extreme positions. Contrary to the fundamental basis of Republic.com, the research on group polarization does not inevitably lead to the conclusion that the Internet creates extremist communications or behavior. Third, it suggests that Sunstein\u27s theory of governance is controversial, and that important features of cyberlibertarian and historicist governance theories seriously undermine his position. And finally, this Review criticizes Sunstein \u27s proposals for reform as utterly meritless. These proposals are either contradicted by his own earlier perfect filtering argument, or by his misunderstanding of the Net as a local broadcast medium

Brain-Computer interfaces: from research to consumer products

Brain-computer interfaces have recently made its way into a consumer setting where it could potentially reach new areas of impact. This dissertation addresses the question of how this change in setting impact the experience of the ethical concerns in researchers and consumer innovators. The concept of responsible research and innovation is a novel attempt at expanding the discussion of ethics to both research and innovation. This thesis argues that research settings and consumer innovation settings have different experiences of ethical concerns, which makes this combination a challenge. This thesis also argues that the brain-computer interface discourse has challenges when discussing ethical because they are not often explicitly addressing the nuances in experience there is between different settings. This dissertation contributes to the understanding of what these differences in understanding are and shows that significant changes can be made to reduce the gap between the two settings. This is done with the usage of the AREA which gives a broad understanding of how the ethical concerns are experienced in the two settings. By describing the nuances in the experience of ethical concerns in the two settings, this thesis discusses the impact on both the brain-computer interface discourse as well as the responsible research and innovation discourse.This project/research has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation under the Specific Grant Agreement No. 785907 (Human Brain Project SGA2

A simulation-based approach to business model design and organizational Change

While several practice-based approaches of business model design suggest ways to create new business models, there is limited understanding of why and how business models change. This exploratory study employs neural network analysis to simulate business model design and business model change. We conceptualise business model design as a schema of the organisation’s critical resources, transactions, and value proposition. Elements of the schema are connected in a simple neural network. The network evolves based on a constraint satisfaction network until it converges to a stable state of a coherent business model. An in-depth case study of an entrepreneurial venture provides a real-world example to test the analytical framework. Using data from the case study, we run multiple simulations of business model design and business model change. The results suggest that business model change can be understood as a form of constraint satisfaction, linking managerial cognition with business model change. The simulation approach also helps identify possible, but unrealized business models. This novel approach paves the way for new research and practice in business model design and change