This study-unit offers a comprehensive introduction to Artificial Intelligence by combining a focus on its core technologies with a critical exploration of its ethical, legal, and regulatory dimensions. Students will first be introduced to the fundamental principles and methods that drive AI systems, including the techniques that enable applications such as online searches, recommendation systems, content generation, credit evaluations, personalised education, and judicial decision support tools. These examples highlight the transformative role AI is already playing across nearly every digital sector, reshaping the way computing is designed and delivered. At the same time, the study-unit will emphasise the importance of engaging with AI not only as a technical innovation but also as a societal and legal challenge. The adoption of AI raises pressing questions relating to fairness, transparency, accountability, privacy, copyright, and content moderation, as well as the need for human oversight. Students will examine these issues through the lens of existing and emerging legal frameworks, with particular emphasis on the European Union, which is leading global efforts in this area. Special focus will be given to the EU AI Act, but discussion will also extend to the wider EU regulatory landscape that affects AI applications (e.g. DSM Directive, DSA etc). By the end of the study-unit, students will have gained both a solid grounding in the technological building blocks of AI and a clear understanding of the ethical and regulatory context within which AI is evolving. This interdisciplinary approach equips them to critically assess AI systems, understand compliance requirements, and contribute to informed debates about the role of AI in society.
Main Reading List
- On the Opportunities and Risks of Foundation Models, arXiv:2108.07258 v. 12.7.2022, https://arxiv.org/abs/2108.07258.
- Boucher, How artificial intelligence works, EPRS, 2019.
- Tauli, Artificial Intelligence Basics
- A non Technical Introduction, Apress, 2019.
- Bygrave/Schmidt, Regulating Non-High-Risk AI Systems under the EU鈥檚 Artificial Intelligence Act, with Special Focus on the Role of Soft Law, University of Oslo Faculty of Law Research Paper No. 2024-10 v. 24.10.2024, https://ssrn.com/abstract=4997886.
- Revolidis, Regulating General Purpose Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) within the EU AI Act: Challenges and Considerations (October 24, 2024). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5122935.
- Dornis, The training of generative AI is not text and data mining, European Intellectual Property Review, 47(2), 2025, 65.
- Dornis, Generative AI, Reproductions Inside the Model, and the Making Available to the Public, IIC (2025), https://doi.org/10.1007/s40319-025-01582-9, 8) EDPB, Opinion 28/2024 on certain data protection aspects related to the processing of personal data in the context of AI models, https://www.edpb.europa.eu/our-work-tools/our-documents/opinion-board-art-64/opinion-282024-certain-data-protection-aspects_en.
Supplementary Reading List
- Dusollier et al., Copyright and Generative AI: Opinion of the European Copyright Society v. 7.2.2025, https://ssrn.com/abstract=5166831.
- Engler/Renda, Reconciling the AI Value Chain with the EU鈥檚 Artificial Intelligence Act v. 30.9.2022, https://www.ceps.eu/ceps-publications/reconciling-the-ai-value-chain-with-the-eus-artificial-intelligence-act/.
- Hacker/Engel/Mauer, Regulating ChatGPT and other Large Generative AI Models, FAccT '23, arXiv:2302.02337, 2023, https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.02337.
- Edwards et al., 鈥濸rivate Ordering and Generative AI: What Can We Learn From Model Terms and Conditions?鈥�, CREATe Working Paper (2024), https://zenodo.org/records/11276105.
- Gstrein/Haleem/Zwitter, General-purpose AI regulation and the European Union AI Act, IPR 13 (2024), 1.
Study-unit Aims
The aims of this study-unit are to:
- Provide students with a foundational understanding of the core technologies underpinning Artificial Intelligence;
- Develop awareness of the ethical, legal, and societal challenges associated with the design, deployment, and governance of AI systems;
- Examine the European Union regulatory framework with particular focus on the EU AI Act while also addressing related instruments such as the Digital 福利在线免费 Act, copyright regulation, and data protection law;
- Equip students with the ability to critically assess AI applications across different sectors in terms of both their technological underpinnings and their compliance with legal and ethical requirements;
- Foster interdisciplinary engagement by bridging perspectives from computer science, law, and policy in the study of Artificial Intelligence.
Learning Outcomes: Knowledge and Understanding
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- Analyse the core technological foundations of Artificial Intelligence and their applications across digital sectors;
- Critically evaluate the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI adoption, including issues of privacy, accountability, copyright, and content moderation;
- Assess the scope, objectives, and mechanisms of the EU AI Act within the broader EU regulatory landscape;
- Integrate technical, ethical, and legal perspectives to form a holistic understanding of the opportunities and challenges presented by AI;
- Appraise emerging debates and scholarship concerning AI governance and its future development.
Learning Outcomes: Skills
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- Apply core concepts of AI technologies to real-world case studies in law, policy, and governance;
- Critically compare different regulatory instruments and propose informed solutions to compliance challenges;
- Formulate interdisciplinary arguments that link technical knowledge with legal and ethical reasoning;
- Design structured analyses of AI applications highlighting both functional capacities and regulatory constraints;
- Communicate complex insights on AI technologies and regulations effectively in both academic and professional contexts.
Non EU Applicants:
EUR750
You are viewing the fees for non EU nationals. Switch to EU nationals if you are a national of any country from within the EU/EEA.
Micro-credentials offer the possibility of providing flexible learning pathways to respond to evolving needs and new developments, thus enabling students to tailor their studies to their needs. Micro-credentials may be combined or transferred into larger credentials, such as certificates, diplomas and degrees, provided that the relevant programme requirements are met. Applicants wishing to transfer micro-credentials to a programme of study are encouraged to seek the advice of the relevant academic entity.
