Since it was founded in 2012, the WeRobot conference has become one of the most important interdisciplinary forums for regulatory, technical, legal and social issues relating to robotics, artificial intelligence and digital transformation. It has already taken place in Yale, Stanford, Ottawa, Seattle, Miami and Boston.
The aim of We Robot is to bring together scientists, legislators, politicians and the digital economy in an interactive way in order to address the pressing issues of responsible and ethical use of new digital technologies in dialogue and on an equal footing. However, WeRobot is not just about talking about technology in the abstract; robots are also always on site through demos, workshops and presentations. However, these are not traditional trade fair stands: The focus is on the opportunity to experience and try out the state of the art in robotics up close and personal and to engage in direct dialogue with its developers.
After many successful conferences in the USA and Canada, WeRobot is coming to Europe for the first time on 17 October 2024.
In cooperation with the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Law Society (RAILS e.V.), an intensive, one-day exchange of ‘Leading Tech&Law Scholars’ from the USA and Europe will take place in the Microsoft Atrium in Berlin - a top meeting of the who's who in the field of robotics research.
At the beginning of the legislative period of the new European Parliament and the term of office of the newly composed EU Commission, we will analyse current trends in robotics, compare the approaches of the USA and the EU and learn from each other. Our aim is to bring science, politics, business and the interested specialist public into a dialogue and to look for joint strategies for the rapid development in the field of AI-based robotics. We want to document the findings of the conference and, if possible, summarise them in a conference volume.
Participants from the USA and Canada, in particular the members of the WeRobot conference programme committee, are scheduled to attend:
Jason Millar (University of Ottawa), Anne L Washington (New York University), Laurel Riek (University of California, Santa Cruz), Kate Darling (MIT Media Lab), Kristen Thomasen (University of British Columbia), Ifeoma Ajunwa (University of North Carolina), Howard Chizeck (University of Washington), Bill Smart (Oregon State), Ryan Calo (University of Washington), Michael Froomkin (University of Miami), Meg Jones (Georgetown University), Woodrow Hartzog (Boston University)
In addition, RAILS e.V. together with WeRobot will invite renowned researchers from the EU and organise a closing panel with representatives from the legislative and executive branches. Researchers can also apply for a call for papers - the most promising proposals will be given an active role at the conference.
To realise the vision of a ‘WeRobot - Europe Edition’, the Robotics and AI Law Society (RAILS e.V.) is looking for support. We need funding for on-site catering, a ‘Speakers Dinner’, travel expenses for the speakers, public relations for the conference, on-site security personnel and an accompanying cultural programme. We would love to have you on board as well. We offer various support packages so that there is something for every budget.
If you have any questions, you can contact us at any time at media@ai-laws.org.
