CLEAR-AI

Compliance, Legal, and Ethical Aspects of AI Regulation

to be organized as part of the 21st International Conference on Intelligent Environments

June 23-26, 2025 Darmstadt, Germany

Overview

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has opened up a plethora of transformative possibilities across numerous sectors. However, this rapid advancement also raises a number of profound legal and ethical questions. As AI systems are integrated into decision-making processes, concerns over accountability, transparency, bias, privacy, and the impact on human rights intensify. Addressing these challenges requires robust regulatory frameworks to ensure that AI technologies are deployed in ways that protect individual rights, promote fairness, and mitigate risks associated with their growing influence on society.

The legal governance of AI represents a current and ongoing topic of discussion and debate, with a variety of national and international frameworks being proposed to address the ethical, social, and legal challenges posed by AI technologies. The EU's AI Act and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are of great significance in terms of providing regulatory oversight within Europe. They set out basic rules that AI systems must comply with, including references to basic principles such as accountability, transparency, and fairness. The AI Act, in particular, is designed to mitigate the risks associated with high-risk AI systems, safeguard human rights, and establish benchmarks for responsible AI innovation. The global and cross-border nature of AI further necessitates the examination of additional frameworks beyond Europe, including standards emerging from international organizations and non-EU countries, such as the OECD AI Principles, U.S. initiatives like the Algorithmic Accountability Act, and various sector-specific regulations.

This workshop serves as an interdisciplinary platform, connecting legal, ethical, and technical discussions to navigate the complexities of AI governance. Technical experts will gain insight into regulatory impacts on AI development, while legal professionals and researchers will better understand the technical constraints and capabilities of AI systems.  The aim of the workshop, overall, is to offer a comprehensive platform for researchers, academia, industry, and experts to discuss the legal and ethical implications of AI, focusing on how these issues are addressed by current regulations like the AI Act.

Theme

The workshop’s central theme will revolve around the balance between innovation and responsibility—ensuring AI development fosters progress while upholding ethical standards and legal compliance. Therefore the theme of the workshop is identified as "Responsible AI Development: Balancing Innovation, Ethics, and Regulation," focusing on the convergence of innovation and compliance, offering a space for dialogue on global AI governance and practices.

Workshop Benefits

For speakers, this workshop provides an opportunity to share insights and strategies for addressing legal and ethical challenges. Engaging with peers from academia, industry, and regulatory bodies, speakers will have a platform to shape the conversation around regulatory frameworks and ethical AI development.

Participants, whether technical experts, legal professionals, or social scientists, will gain valuable insights into how ethical principles and regulatory frameworks shape AI development. They will benefit from a deep dive into the key legal and ethical concerns driving AI governance. They will gain practical knowledge on regulatory frameworks such as the AI Act, learn about the latest developments in AI legislation, and discuss best practices for creating AI systems that are not only innovative but also compliant with ethical standards. 

This workshop serves as an interdisciplinary platform, connecting legal, ethical, and technical discussions to navigate the complexities of AI governance. Technical experts will gain insight into regulatory impacts on AI development, while legal professionals and researchers will present their ideas and insights fostering a deeper understanding of how legal frameworks can shape the responsible deployment of AI.  Overall, participants from technical, legal, and social science backgrounds will benefit from in-depth discussions and case studies that connect regulatory frameworks to practical applications, ensuring responsible and compliant AI innovation.

Key Topics

Topics of interest include any relevant subjects connected to the below topics, but not limited to:

1. The AI Act: Scope, objectives, and impact
2. Risk Categories in the AI Act: Addressing high, low, and minimal risks
3. Preliminary understanding of the AI Act: Ideas, approaches, challenges and opportunities
4. AI, privacy, and data protection challenges
5. Legal accountability for AI-driven decisions
6. Bias mitigation and fairness in algorithmic decision-making
7. Transparency and explainability: Ethical and legal perspectives
8. Human Rights protection and AI
9. AI Governance: Balancing innovation and regulation
10. Global AI Regulation: A possible solution?
11. Ethical principles in AI development: Best practices for responsible innovation
12. Liability and risk in Autonomous Systems: Legal and regulatory approaches
13. Cross-disciplinary collaboration for AI governance
14. European Health Data Space and AI governance in medical devices
15. AI and Human Rights: The Political dimensions of preservation or erosion
16. Market manipulation, price discrimination, and AI: Challenges in the marketplace
17. Legal and ethical Implications of AI in smart cities, IoT, and robotics
18. Synthetic resolution for AI system and data governance
19. Methods of human agency as reffered in law within the AI life-cycle
20. Field-specific approaches in AI regulation and governance: Consumer law, tort law, criminal law, labor law, the Data Act, and other relevant legal frameworks

Paper submission:

Submittted papers will be subjected to a meticulous and comprehensive evaluation process. Each paper will be assessed by a panel of experts in the field, ensuring that only those of the highest quality are selected for presentation during the event.

All submissions must adhere to the IOS Press format and be a minimum of six and a maximum of ten pages in length. Submission of the paper must be completed according to the above submission dates and submissions are handled through the EasyChair conference management system.  The confidentiality of submissions is maintained throughout the review process.

Following acceptance, a final revised camera-ready version of the paper will be required in electronic form for inclusion in the proceedings. Final camera-ready versions of accepted papers must be accompanied by a signed copyright form.

Should you encounter any difficulties in meeting the deadline or require further clarification regarding the submission process, we kindly request that you inform us at your earliest convenience via: clearaiworkshop@gmail.com

Important Dates:

Paper submission deadline

7 March 2025

Notification of acceptance

4 April 2025

Camera-ready version

11 April 2025

Workshop date

23 or 24 June 2025

Accepted Papers

See the list here: TBD

Preliminary Program

TBD

Publication

All papers accepted will be published in the proceedings of the event which will be an Open Access volume in the Book Series on Ambient Intelligence and Smart Environments Series (IOS Press). As of 2015, the Workshops Proceedings published by this Book Series are indexed in the Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science (CPCI-S) by Thomson Reuters.

Program Committee

Gizem Gültekin-Várkonyi, University of Szeged, Hungary

Gordon Hunter, Kingston University, UK

Anton Gradisek, Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia

Norbert Tribl, University of Szeged, Hungary

Anastasia Nefeli Vidaki, Vrije University Brussel, Belgium

Sabire Sanem Yılmaz, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Italy

Contact

For any questions, please contact us at clearaiworkshop@gmail.com