2nd Course of the International School on AI Technology and Law – Ettore Majorana Foundation, Erice

AI Technology and Law
Directors: A. LEHMANN – P.P.M. MENCHETTI

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY & LAW

ERICE – SICILY

ERICE-SICILY, 1 – 6 September 2026

Considering the extraordinary spread of AI developments and innovative applications in recent years, and their profound influence on private, business, and public life, the aim of the School is to offer young researchers the opportunity to understand the relevance of technological innovations in the field of artificial intelligence. The courses will illustrate technological benefits and risks across different application areas, while also analyzing the state of the art regarding social behaviors, ethical and legal rules, and further regulatory needs. Participants will have a unique opportunity to learn from and engage with internationally renowned experts. The expression “artificial intelligence” was coined during a workshop held in 1956 at Dartmouth College (USA), with great expectations regarding the possibility of developing machines as intelligent as human beings. However, due to overestimated expectations, research funding underwent two major reductions: the first in the mid-1970s and the second at the end of the 1980s. With the progressive and continuous increase in the performance of computing devices, sensors, communication technologies, and data storage systems in the early 2000s, machine learning and deep learning concepts were developed and successfully applied to multiple purposes across almost every sector. The latest revolutionary breakthrough in AI capabilities began in the early 2020s with the development of generative AI algorithms and tools. The presentations will address these developments, highlighting their benefits while promoting awareness of emerging opportunities and risks. Practical “hands-on” tools will offer participants the opportunity to use, learn, and better understand both the potential and the critical issues related to the application of AI methods and tools. Alongside the extraordinary benefits deriving from the application of these technologies, side effects and risks for public, economic, and private life are also constantly increasing, often underestimated or overlooked. Consequently, ethical and socially responsible behavior requires the introduction of codes of conduct and a global legal framework aimed at preventing abuse, fraud, and criminal activities. The main challenges consist in promoting awareness, fostering worldwide behavioral and legal agreements, and keeping pace with the rapid development and application of AI. From this perspective, the presentations will analyze the global state of the art regarding rules of conduct, governance, legal regulation, as well as ethical and social implications.

PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME

International School on Artificial Intelligence Technology and Law

Erice, Sicily | 1–6 September 2026

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Module 1: AI Basics

09:30 – 09:45
Welcome Address and Introduction
P.P.M. Menchetti, A. Lehmann

09:45 – 10:30
Historical Developments of AI
S.K. Oh

10:30 – 11:30
Technological Developments Driving AI
A. Lehmann, S. Greenman

Coffee Break

Module 2: Examples of AI Tools and Applications

12:00 – 13:00
Ethical and Social Implications
G. Mieke de Keteleare

Lunch Break

14:30 – 15:30
AI from Biomedical Research to Healthcare Application
P.P.M. Menchetti

15:30 – 16:30
How Modern AI Protocols Are Transforming Biomedical Research: From the Laboratory Bench to the Bedside
E. Buratti

Coffee Break

17:00 – 18:00
AI Applications in Agriculture
P. Gay

18:00 – 19:00
Generative AI and Their Capabilities: Exercises and Project Work
S. Greenman

Thursday, September 3, 2026

Module 2: Examples of AI Tools and Applications (Continuing)

09:30 – 10:30
Data Protection and Privacy in Finance
F. Medda

10:30 – 11:30
Practical Applications, Risks, and Opportunities; Central Banks and Supervisory Authorities on AI: From Internal SupTech Adoption to the Oversight of AI Use by Regulated Entities
A. Vivoli

Coffee Break

12:00 – 13:00
Smart Cities and Urbanization
S. Al Sanad

Lunch Break

14:30 – 15:30
Advanced AI Genetic Application
G. Novelli

15:30 – 16:30
Anthropological Limits, Challenges and Risks of Transhumanism. The Christian Approach
C. Kenanidis

Coffee Break

Module 3: Governance, Regulatory and Legal Issues Related to AI

17:00 – 18:00
Regulatory Aspects
S. Mazzitelli

18:00 – 19:00
Artificial Intelligence and the Principle of Non-Discrimination
G. Carapezza Figlia

Friday, September 4, 2026

Module 3: Governance, Regulatory and Legal Issues Related to AI (Continuing)

09:30 – 10:30
Regulatory Aspects
U. Dellrud

10:30 – 11:30
Regulatory Aspects
S. Occhipinti

Coffee Break

12:00 – 13:00
Data Protection, Privacy and Intellectual Property Rights
A. Pouliou

Lunch Break

14:30 – 15:30
Data Protection, Privacy and Intellectual Property Rights
D. Mainenti

15:30 – 16:30
Legal Aspects of Cloud Computing in Light of the New Regulations Governing Digital Service Contracts
R. Scotti

Coffee Break

17:00 – 18:00
Exercises and Tools
S. Greenman

18:00 – 19:00
Social Programme (Sightseeing, Apero, Get Together)

Saturday, September 5, 2026

Module 3: Governance, Regulatory and Legal Issues Related to AI

09:30 – 10:30
International Regulations – State of the Art in the EU
A. Pouliou

10:30 – 11:30
International Regulations – State of the Art in Asia
S.K. Oh

Coffee Break

12:00 – 13:00
International Regulations – State of the Art in India
P. Duggal

Lunch Break

Modules 4–5: Cybersecurity Related to AI

14:30 – 15:30
AI for Cyber Resilience, Cyber Deterrence and Cyber Readiness. Best Practice and Workaround to Prevent Security Incidents for Enterprise, Critical Infrastructure and Governments
M. Braccioli

15:30 – 16:30
Major Domain: AI Application in Italian Administrative Justice
D.F. Sivilli

Coffee Break

17:00 – 18:00
AI in International Relations and Diplomacy
M. Braccioli, E. Ludovico

18:00 – 19:00
AI and the Future of Human Dignity
D. Pulcini

19:00
Conclusion

Sunday, September 6, 2026

Departures

POETIC TOUCH

According to legend, Erice, son of Venus and Neptune, founded a small town more than three thousand years ago on the summit of a mountain rising 750 meters above sea level. The founder of modern history — understood as the methodical and chronological narration of events as they actually occurred, without recourse to mythical causes — the great Thucydides (5th century BC), writing about the events connected to the conquest of Troy (1183 BC), stated: «After the fall of Troy, some Trojans, fleeing from the Achaeans, reached Sicily by sea and, settling near the borders of the Sicani, were collectively called Elymians: their cities were Segesta and Erice». This account inspired Virgil to describe the arrival of the Trojan royal family in Erice and the burial of Anchises, carried out by his son Aeneas on the coast beneath the mountain. Homer (~1000 BC), Theocritus (~300 BC), Polybius (~200 BC), Virgil (~50 BC), Horace (~20 BC), and many others celebrated this magnificent Sicilian place in their verses. For seven centuries (13th–19th century), the town of Erice was governed by a local oligarchy whose wisdom ensured a long period of cultural development and economic prosperity, from which originated the many churches, monasteries, and noble palaces that can still be admired today. In Erice, visitors may explore the Castle of Venus, the Cyclopean Walls (~800 BC), and the Gothic Cathedral (~1300 AD). Today, the town appears as an evocative fusion of ancient and medieval architecture. Other masterpieces of ancient civilization can be found nearby: Motya (Phoenician), Segesta (Elymian), and Selinunte (Greek). In the Aegadian Islands — the setting of the decisive naval battle of the First Punic War (264–241 BC) — fascinating Neolithic and Paleolithic remains can still be admired: the caves of Favignana and the rock engravings and paintings of Levanzo. Splendid beaches can be found at San Vito Lo Capo, Scopello, and Cornino, while a wild and rocky coastline stretches around Monte Cofano: all less than an hour’s drive from Erice.

APPLICATIONS

Those wishing to participate in the Course should submit a written application to the Directors of the School:

Dr. Pavan Duggal, e-mail: pavanduggal6@gmail.com
Professor Axel Lehmann, e-mail: Axel.Lehmann@unibw.de
Professor Pier Paolo Maria Menchetti, e-mail: pmenchetti@gmail.com

Please include the following information in the application:

Full name, age, gender, nationality;
Postal address, telephone number, e-mail;
Current position and scientific interests;
Title or abstract of a scientific contribution for the poster session(s), which may be included in the program.

PLEASE NOTE

Participants must arrive in Erice for the 1st Course no later than 7:00 PM on April 26, 2026 and, for the 2nd Course, no later than 7:00 PM on September 1, 2026.

Further information on the other activities of the
“ETTORE MAJORANA FOUNDATION AND CENTRE FOR SCIENTIFIC CULTURE”
is available on the website at the following address:
https://ettoremajoranafoundation.it

Download the course brochure

Download the program

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