Call for Papers: International Conference on The Legal and Social Consequences of Artificial Decision Making (Early-Career Researchers), Munster 2027

The DFG Research Unit 5906 ("The Legal and Social Consequences of Artificial Decision Making") at the University of Munster is hosting its first international conference on 11-12 March 2027 in Munster, Germany. Artificial decision-making marks a turning point for both law and society: decisions are increasingly driven by AI systems that have seen a surge in capabilities in recent years.

The conference marks the end of the group's first year of research and covers the overarching themes of autonomy, control and responsibility, featuring contributions from leading international experts.

The DFG-funded research unit investigates the challenges and potentials of artificial decision-making systematically, develops options for new legal design and reform, and re-evaluates the mission of legal scholarship in this new era.

It works beyond established disciplinary boundaries, fostering intra-disciplinary dialogue (between legal philosophy, private law, corporate law, labour and social law, civil and criminal procedure law and criminology) and inter-disciplinary exchange with computer science, philosophy, political theory, sociology, psychology and economics.

• Mareike Schmidt, University of Hamburg
• Ignacio Cofone, University of Oxford
• Sille Obelitz Soe, University of Copenhagen
• Mareile Kaufmann, University of Oslo
• Miriam Buiten, University of St. Gallen

The Call for Papers is open to early-career researchers (PhD candidates, post-docs and assistant professors) from all disciplines related to the interests of the research unit. The organisers are looking for innovative research ideas dealing with the transformation and normative shifts caused by AI.

Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• AI and legal anthropocentrism: are human-centred concepts and metaphors adequate for AI-related legal problems?
• How must anti-discrimination law be reconstructed to limit decisions made by autonomous systems, and how can algorithmic fairness work in practice?
• Can legal design shift the focus from ex-post compensation to ex-ante prevention of algorithmic bias?
• How do we regulate the interaction between judges and AI to prevent both automation bias and algorithm aversion?
• To what extent is corporate law anthropocentric, and how must Corporate Digital Responsibility be defined?
• How does AI-driven prognosis or evidence evaluation impact truth-finding, the presumption of innocence and efficiency?
• Does a shift from selective to total social control erode the socio-integrative function of law?
• Do we have to rethink legal scholarship to address the challenges posed by AI?

Interested early-career researchers should submit an abstract of their proposed paper (maximum 500 words) to forschungsgruppe5906@uni-muenster.de by 30 September 2026.

Selected participants will be notified by 31 October 2026. Following the event, authors will have the opportunity to publish their research in the research unit's working paper series (not mandatory), ensuring high visibility within the academic community.

There is no submission or participation fee. The organisers are able to cover travel expenses if needed.