Litigating for equality: Join our AI legal clinic for equality bodies!
Date of article: 02/02/2022
Daily News of: 10/02/2022
Country: 
EUROPE
Author: European network of equality bodies - EQUINET
Article language: en
This training is aimed at equality bodies’ staff involved in AI-related litigation or generally interested in AI.
Register here by 11 February Concept Note & Agenda
The expansion and diversification in the uses of AI systems across Europe has led and will continue to lead to numerous legislative developments at both European and national levels. In this context, strategic litigation is essential to give direction to these developments. The history, mandate, and powers of European national equality bodies (NEBs) makes them uniquely well placed to undertake such test and strategic litigation. Thus, one of the central recommendations of Equinet’s Report “Regulating for an Equal AI: a New Role for Equality Bodies” states that Equinet’s members should consider bringing, supporting, or funding litigation that challenges discriminatory technology.
To equip our members with the relevant tools to engage in strategic litigation, Equinet invites its members to participate in a novel, capacity-building opportunity on AI which builds upon the knowledge base created by our first training in April. This training will take the form of a legal advice clinic, providing concrete guidance on real-life cases submitted by NEBs. Dee Masters, an experienced equality and AI litigator and co-author of the Equinet Report on AI, will act as the clinic’s expert adviser.
TRAINING OBJECTIVES
- To provide tailored support to equality bodies in identifying and assessing problematic AI practices that could give rise to equality litigation at the national level;
- To develop example litigation strategies for two real-life cases submitted by equality bodies;
- To identify and clarify ways for fostering the involvement of relevant national stakeholders, such as civil society organisations and national regulators, in pursuing AI-related equality litigation for the identified case.
FORMAT
In the four weeks leading up to the training: All NEBs staff are invited to engage in discussions about the key steps in AI litigation in the Forum section of Equinet’s dedicated AI website. Available to anyone – registration to the training not needed.
8 February: Individual consultations between the case submitters and our legal advisor, Dee Masters, will be held. In the plenary sessions on 17-18 February, all training participants, together with Dee Masters, will collectively learn about the most important aspects of litigation and develop a strategy for the two real-life cases. Available to NEBs who submitted their cases.
17-18 February (10:00 – 12:00 CET): Live Sessions & Plenary to discuss the results of these case-based consultations. Available to all training registrants.
