Announcement – Symposium:

Exploring the Future of Comparative Law in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Friday May 22, 2026, 12:45 – 17:15 hrs

Go directly to the Registration Form (under construction- soon approachable)

Theme

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the ways in which legal scholars collect, analyze, and structure information. This shift presents both opportunities and challenges in the field of comparative legal research, a field that relies on close engagement with studying a variety of legal sources and a contextual understanding of foreign legal systems. The question is no longer whether AI will influence comparative legal research, but how researchers can guide that development through responsible, transparent, and skillful use of AI tools.

This symposium brings together established and emerging researchers from law and related disciplines to explore the emerging methodological relationship between AI and comparative law.  It seeks to reflect critically on how AI may reshape the practice, methods, epistemology, and teaching of comparative law: can AI reveal structural differences between legal systems that human researchers might overlook? Does relying on automated tools affect the researcher’s responsibility for nuance and cultural understanding in comparative work? How can comparative analysis remain reliable when grounded in AI-generated translations of foreign legal sources? By engaging with these questions, the symposium aims to foster a forward-looking conversation that equips researchers to harness AI’s potential in ways that strengthen and expand the comparative legal tradition.

Program to be uploaded soon!

Details
Day & Time: May 22, 12:45-17:15 (start symposium, 13.30 sharp). Reception: 17:15-18:15
Location: VU, Free University of Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1105, Amsterdam
Registration: https://nvvr.sites.uu.nl/registration/ (under construction)
Information: Marieke Oderkerk (a.e.oderkerk@vu.nl)
Costs: EUR 35 (non-members), EUR 70 (admission plus year membership); free (members)