Transdisciplinary research as a way forward in AI & Law

Abstract

The field of Artificial Intelligence & Law is a community of law and computer science scholars, with a focus on AI applications for the law and law enforcement. Such applications have become the subject of much debate, with techno-pessimists and techno-optimists on either side. What is the role of the (largely techno-optimistic) AI & Law community in this debate, how can we investigate AI for the law without getting caught up in the drama? I will argue for three points: (1) combe research on data-driven systems, such as generative AI, with research on knowledge-based AI; (2) put AI into (legal) practice, working together with courts, the police, law firms and citizens; (3) work together across disciplines, bringing together those who think about how to build AI and those who think about how to govern and regulate it.