A former senior figure in Government will be delivering a lecture for the University of Worcester next week exploring the legal implications of artificial intelligence.
Sir Robert Buckland KC MP
Sir Robert Buckland KC MP, who served as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice between 2019 and 2021, will be giving the University’s Constitutions, Rights and Justice research group’s inaugural Annual Lecture on Wednesday, March 15.
The free talk, open to the public, titled ‘Artificial Intelligence and Digitalisation: A new hope for justice or a new threat?’, will be held online, from 11am to 12.30pm.
Sir Robert said: “The reason for this topic is that whilst AI represents a huge opportunity for legal research and increased access to justice, there are risks in that, if unregulated, the very essence of human justice itself could change almost without us realising it.”
Sir Robert has a degree in Law from the University of Durham and was Called to the Bar at Inner Temple in October 1991. He practised as a barrister in Wales from 1992 until being elected as an MP for South Swindon in 2010.
The Conservative MP went on to be appointed as Her Majesty’s Solicitor General for England and Wales between 2014 and 2017 and served as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice between 2019 and 2021. He was Secretary of State for Wales in 2022 until October.
He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 2022 Political Honours and was invested by His Majesty King Charles III last November.
Established in 2021, the Constitutions, Rights and Justice research group seeks to undertake research on the constitution, the different types of rights and the importance of justice. This includes exploring the Equality Act 2010, the importance of human rights and the role of the judiciary in holding the government to account. Members are mainly drawn from the University’s School of Law, but there are also members from the History and Criminology departments, external academics, as well as those from the judiciary and legal practice, including active and retired judges. It aims to disseminate research and scholarship through public events, foster collaboration, and produce innovative research and other scholarly work.
Dr Chris Monaghan, Principal Lecture in Law at the University, and Director of the Constitutions, Rights and Justice Research Group, said: "At Worcester the Constitutions, Rights and Justice Research Group is committed to drawing attention to the importance of rights and justice, as well as providing a forum to bring like-minded researchers together to engage in thought-provoking research. Our aim in launching an annual public lecture is to welcome colleagues, students and the public, to join in with the important national and international debates taking place, and to make our research accessible to everyone. We are excited that Sir Robert Buckland KC MP, the former Lord Chancellor, will be delivering the inaugural lecture.”
All are welcome to this free event, although spaces are limited. To sign up for a place, please email the schooloflaw@worc.ac.uk.