Digital Platforms and Artificial Intelligence: European Regulation in the Global Market

The course examines the impact of technology (with a focus on new operators, platforms and artificial intelligence) on the European and global market, in light of the rise of private law interventions that intertwine with public regulation.
The aim is for students to acquire the knowledge needed to understand and analyse the implications of these transformations for both the functioning of the market and user's protection.
During lectures, students will examine and debate news regarding the actions of these platforms and any legal decisions made towards them, and/or towards the application of artificial intelligence. They will be encouraged to adopt a legal approach to develop an ability to make judgements on such innovations, which are fundamental for the definition of public policies and interventions, as well as for managing economic relationships in the public sector.

By the end of the course, students should have acquired the principles underlying the functioning of markets and the main legal intervention tools. They should also have grasped the problems of efficacy and specific issues of the relationship between law and technology.
By analysing primary sources (regulatory actions and decisions) and current news in the class, students will develop an ability to identify and interpret the main legal implications of different technologies (artificial intelligence, platforms, etc.) also in everyday contexts, and acquire a subject-specific technical and legal terminology. They will also acquire the ability to further develop their knowledge on their own; which is fundamental in a rapidly changing context.