Foundation models in AI and the European regulation of a moving target by Stefan Larsson

Speech given at Int. Conference on Artificial Intelligence: Risks, Regulations and Roadmaps, Dec 7th 2023. The conference addresses the balancing act of regulation: seeking to ensure neither too little nor too much. While we'll present and discuss major societal threats posed by AI, we'll also consider the missed opportunities if stringent regulations hinder AI-based scientific, economic, and general human progress.

Short abstract
In this presentation, Larsson addresses AI governance as a pacing problem, that is, the dynamics of regulating a swiftly moving AI development. Focusing on how general purpose AI and foundation models are targeted in the European AI Act proposals, this presentation speaks to how law is struggling with lack of conceptual clarity and attempts to balance between fixation, to be clarified now, and flexibility, with details to be sorted out later. 

Bio
Stefan Larsson is a lecturer and Associate Professor in Technology and Social Change at Lund University, Sweden, Department of Technology and Society. He is a lawyer (LLM) and socio-legal researcher that holds a PhD in Sociology of Law as well as a PhD in Spatial Planning. He leads a multidisciplinary research group on AI and society that studies governance and social aspects with AI-supported technologies in various domains, for example in consumer markets, in the public sector, in healthcare and social robotics.