Future Tense: Ryan Calo

Future Tense is a series featuring scientists, thinkers, and writers discussing the intersections of neuroscience, artificial intelligence and society. On February 5, join us for a presentation from UW Law professor Ryan Calo on legal and regulatory approaches to emerging technology.

Law and Technology: A Methodical Approach

Technology exerts a profound influence on contemporary society, shaping not just the tools we use but the environments in which we live. Law, uniquely among social forces, is positioned to guide and constrain the social fact of technology in the service of human flourishing. Yet, technology has proven disorienting to law: it presents itself as inevitable, makes a shell game of human responsibility, and daunts regulation. Drawing lessons from communities that critically assess emerging technologies, this book challenges the reflexive acceptance of innovation and critiques the widespread belief that technology is inevitable or ungovernable. It calls for a methodical, coherent approach to the legal analysis of technology—one capable of resisting technology’s disorienting qualities—thus equipping law to meet the demands of an increasingly technology-mediated world while helping to unify the field of law and technology itself.

Bio

Ryan Calo is the Lane Powell and D. Wayne Gittinger Professor at the University of Washington School of Law. He is a founding co-director (with Batya Friedman and Tadayoshi Kohno) of the interdisciplinary UW Tech Policy Lab and a co-founder (with Chris Coward, Emma Spiro, Kate Starbird, and Jevin West) of the UW Center for an Informed Public. Professor Calo holds a joint appointment at the Information School and an adjunct appointment at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering.

Professor Calo's research on law and emerging technology appears in leading law reviews (California Law Review, Columbia Law Review, Duke Law Journal, UCLA Law Review, and University of Chicago Law Review) and technical publications (MIT Press, Nature, Artificial Intelligence) and is frequently referenced by the national media. His work has been translated into at least four languages. Professor Calo has testified four times before the United States Senate, most recently providing witness testimony on July 11, 2024, before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation at a hearing titled “The Need to Protect Americans’ Privacy and the AI Accelerant.” Professor Calo stressed the importance of a comprehensive federal privacy law that both protects Americans’ personal privacy and sets guidelines for businesses developing and implementing AI technology.

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