Call for Papers: UKCBR 2010: UK Workshop on Case-Based Reasoning

A call for papers — with submission deadline of 8 October 2010 — has been issued for UKCBR 2010: The 15th UK Workshop on Case-Based Reasoning, to be held 14 December 2010 at Peterhouse College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, England, UK.

The workshop is collocated with AI 2010: SGAI International Conference on Artificial Intelligence.

Papers for UKCBR 2010 are invited on the following topics:

• the theory of CBR
• methods for case adaptation, indexing, retrieval, representation
• hybrid, agent based CBR systems
• CBR in data mining and knowledge discovery in databases
• knowledge acquisition, modelling, and management for CBR
• CBR in engineering, design, manufacturing
• CBR and the Internet
• e-Commerce applications of CBR
• CBR and human learning
• CBR in software engineering
• CBR in healthcare
• textual and Web CBR
• novel applications of CBR

For more information, please see the call for papers.

Call for Papers: MLEA 2010: Midwestern Law & Economics Association Annual Meeting

A call for papers — with submission deadline of 1 September 2010 — has been issued for MLEA 2010: The Midwestern Law and Economics Association Annual Meeting, to be held 8-9 October 2010, at the University of Colorado School of Law in Boulder, Colorado, USA.

The conference is sponsored by the University of Colorado School of Law and its Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship.

The conference invites “papers with varying degrees of law and economics content, ranging from empirical analyses and formal economic modeling to legal philosophy and doctrinal papers infused with economic thinking.”

For more information, please see the call for papers.

DEON 2010 Proceedings Available

Proceedings are available for DEON 2010: The 10th International Conference on Deontic Logic in Computer Science, held 7-9 July 2010 in Fiesole, Florence, Italy.

The proceedings were edited by Giovanni Sartor and Guido Governatori.

Abstracts of the law-related papers presented at the conference will be posted here shortly.

Click here for the conference Website.

LOAIT 2010 Proceedings Available

Proceedings are available for LOAIT 2010: The 4th Workshop on Legal Ontologies and Artificial Intelligence Techniques, held 7 July 2010 in Fiesole, Florence, Italy.

The proceedings were edited by Enrico Francesconi, Simonetta Montemagni, Daniela Tiscornia, and Piercarlo Rossi.

Abstracts will be posted here shortly.

Click here for the conference Website.

Bex et al. on A Hybrid Formal Theory of Arguments, Stories, and Criminal Evidence

Dr. Floris J. Bex of The University of Dundee Argumentation Research Group, and colleagues, have published A Hybrid Formal Theory of Arguments, Stories, and Criminal Evidence, forthcoming in Artificial Intelligence and Law. Here is the abstract:

This paper presents a theory of reasoning with evidence in order to determine the facts in a criminal case. The focus is on the process of proof, in which the facts of the case are determined, rather than on related legal issues, such as the admissibility of evidence. In the literature, two approaches to reasoning with evidence can be distinguished, one argument-based and one story-based. In an argument-based approach to reasoning with evidence, the reasons for and against the occurrence of an event, e.g., based on witness testimony, are central. In a story-based approach, evidence is evaluated and interpreted from the perspective of the factual stories as they may have occurred in a case, e.g., as they are defended by the prosecution. In this paper, we argue that both arguments and narratives are relevant and useful in the reasoning with and interpretation of evidence. Therefore, a hybrid approach is proposed and formally developed, doing justice to both the argument-based and the narrative-based perspective. By the formalization of the theory and the associated graphical representations, our proposal is the basis for the design of software developed as a tool to make sense of the evidence in complex cases.

Click here for Dr. Bex’s earlier post on this topic at the VoxPopuLII blog.

Kahana on Agency and the Autonomous Intelligent Cyber Entity

Eran Kahana, Esq., of CodeX: The Stanford Center for Computers and Law, and DataCard Corporation, has posted several resources related to his project entitled Autonomous Intelligent Cyber Entity (AiCE):

Here is the abstract of the project, according to the CodeX Projects page:

This project explores the commercial and legal aspects/implications of an intelligent cyberagent and its evolution into an autonomous intelligent cyber entity (AiCE, pronounced “ice”). It evaluates and builds functional and operational schemas for standardizing AiCE with an emphasis on reducing waste of judicial resources, increasing e-commerce transactional certainty and expanding into new frontiers for e-commerce interactivity on B2B, B2C and C2C levels.

Mr. Kahana has posted a position paper entitled Application of an Autonomous Intelligent Cyber Entity as a Veiled Identity Agent. Here is the abstract:

This position paper is based on the CodeX “Autonomous Intelligent Cyber Entity” (AiCE) book project. The AiCE draws on its intelligent and computational law capabilities to promote a safer, more efficient on-line environment. It is a flexible framework that can be configured to serve various purposes in business and individual-user settings. Due to its autonomous, intelligent and broad range functional capabilities, the success of AiCE is dependent on its entity status being formally recognized by law. This paper describes how this status can be granted by building on the same legal principles that endow U.S. corporations with an “entity” status; and while the focus here is purposefully narrowed to U.S. law, the same principles have universal application (a subject dealt with comprehensively in the book). Where the particular intention is to better protect a user’s private data, the AiCE can be configured by a user into an “AiCE Veiled Identity Agent” (AVIA). This AiCE configuration shields the user’s private information and offers him a “veiled” identity similar to that which corporate shareholders enjoy, all without degrading the flow of information vital to innovation and new value generation. This paper concludes with the introduction of the Uniform AiCE Transactions Act (UATA), an intelligent legal framework designed to govern all AiCE activity, promote trust and widespread adoption of this model.

Video and audio are available for Mr. Kahana’s 20 January 2010 presentation at Stanford Law School entitled Modeling and Implementing the Autonomous Intelligent Cyber Entity. Here is the abstract:

The Autonomous Intelligent Cyber Entity (AiCE) CodeX project models and examines the broad spectrum of legal and commercial issues surrounding the implementation of hyper-intelligent software code that has independent decision-making and computational law capabilities. AiCE’s functional scope is wide-ranging, limited only by what humans will be comfortable with allowing it to perform. It is able to, for instance, evaluate, negotiate, execute and monitor performance of (online) contracts. In that capacity, it can behave as a human party is expected to (including acting as an agent) yet it is unhampered by variables that ail humans, such as those that lead to complications and uncertainty relative to consent and effective post-execution performance monitoring. Using AiCE also raises numerous questions and challenges. A sampling of these will be discussed, and a conceptual preview of a novel legal framework called the “Uniform AiCE Commercial Transactions Act” (UATA) will be offered as a vehicle by which to resolve them.

Mr. Kahana yesterday published a new blogpost on this topic, entitled Germinating Seeds of Agency, at The CodeX Blog. Here is an excerpt:

It is inevitable and only a matter of (a short) time that in this reimagined reality, the use of some avatars will transcend the aquarium-like current environment in which virtual worlds exist. These new and improved avatars will take on the form of AiCE. They will get smarter in this evolutionary window; garner rights; be capable of autonomous operation in certain (initially) limited respects; be exponentially able to quickly learn and adapt to their new environment. In parallel, some users will decide to enable their AiCE to conduct business on their behalf (not just buy stuff on Amazon or eBay), use real-world money, shield their real-world identity (in the form of an AiCE Veiled Identity Agent) and bring about real-world consequences, both positive and negative in ways that are no longer confined to the virtual world aquarium. In this reimagined reality, the need for AiCE to be an Agent will no longer contain the should-factor; thus the seeds of the electronic Agent begin to germinate.

In May 2010 Mr. Kahana published a post entitled Artificial Intelligence Dynamic Rights at The CodeX Blog. Here is an excerpt:

In contrast to HCT [i.e., Human Centric Tasks "that are inherently (and currently) the domain of natural persons"], ENT [i.e., Entity Neutral Tasks, "that can be, from a normative perspective, comfortably performed by non-humans"] configurations do not involve taking decisions that exert moral choice. These are, therefore, dispositive of non-malleable inquiries into liability, punishment, deterrence, and so forth. We can thus see that the HCT/ENT distinction serves to delineate as to the circumstances in which AiCE rights analysis is relevant. It also answers the question posed above (if only partially so) by stating that: (1) Not all AiCE/AI configurations will receive any rights; (2) only AiCE/AI that require rights for performance of their mission will receive them and (3) which rights AiCE/AI receive will depend on the type of task they are configured to carry out.

Loukis & Wimmer on Analysing Different Models of Structured Electronic Consultation on Legislation Under Formation

Professor Dr. Euripidis Loukis of the University of the Aegean Department of Information and Communication Systems Engineering, and Professor Maria Wimmer of Universität Koblenz-Landau Institut für Wirtschafts- und Verwaltungsinformatik, presented a paper entitled Analysing Different Models of Structured Electronic Consultation on Legislation Under Formation, at OD 2010: The Fourth International Conference on Online Deliberation, held 30 June-2 July 2010, at the Leeds University Business School, in Leeds, England, UK.

Click here for the presentation slides.

Here is the abstract:

Electronic consultation through the Internet has become an important means of e-participation in order to enable interaction and discussion among government agencies and citizens on public policies and decisions. Tools that enhance the quality of electronic consultations need therefore to be designed in a way that better opinions and arguments are produced. Well designed ICT tools can contribute to better, more informed and socially rooted public policies and decisions. This paper analyses two different models of structured electronic consultation in the area of formation of legislation, a highly complex and controversial category of government decisions. The first model is a highly structured e-consultation model based on the Issue-Based Information Systems (IBIS) framework, having as basic elements issues, alternatives, pro-arguments, contra-arguments and comments. The second model is simpler and less structured, having as basic elements questions, answers and comments. Our analysis was based on two pilot cases concerning legislation under formation in Greece and Austria. Evaluation took place using discussion tree analysis and quantitative and qualitative methods.

Here is a summary of the presentation:

Conducted as part of the EU’s LEX-IS project, this research compared “two different models of structured e-consultation on the formation of legislation”: one — more complex and structured, taking the form of “issues-alternatives-arguments-comments” — “based on [the] IBIS framework”; the other “simpler and less structured,” in the form of “questions – answers – comments.” The research was conducted on eConsultations respecting proposed legislation in the parliaments of Austria and Greece.

The authors drew the following conclusions from the research data:

Less sophisticated users with lower levels of education and [fewer] skills and experiences in structured discussions [found] the more structured e-forum[s] … more difficult and demanding and [made] a suboptimal use of them. [The] [m]ain difficulties result[ed] from mental efforts needed in thinking in the highly structured way that such tools impose, in annotating correctly the postings[,] [c]onnecting them to others’ postings and in general using efficiently the ‘discussion language’[.] However, [the more structured e-forums] can facilitate higher quality discussions[.] Highly structured e-consultations require adequate skills, capacities and training of the users. Hence, such highly structured tools may not be the best solution for wider citizen participation, but very good for more sophisticated and knowledgeable citizens. Parliaments are therefore recommended [to] organize e-consultations with a wider public by using simple e-forums, while at the same time they may exploit structured e-forum tools to consult with expert groups relevant for the bills under discussion[.]

For the full text of the paper, please contact the authors.

Thanks to Professor Dr. Loukis for providing the abstract.

Call for Papers: AP-LS 2011: American Psychology – Law Society Annual Meeting

A call for papers — with submission deadline of 15 September 2010 — has been issued for AP-LS 2011: The 2011 American Psychology – Law Society Annual Meeting, to be held 2-6 March 2011, in Miami, Florida, USA.

The meeting will be held in conjunction with the 4th International Congress of Psychology and Law.

Proposals for AP-LS 2011 are invited respecting “symposia, papers, and posters addressing topics in all areas of psychology and law. We especially welcome proposals that are empirically based and those that involve new and emerging topics within psychology and law.”

For more information, please see the call for papers.

NCCUSL Accepts Draft Uniform Statute on Authentication and Preservation of State Electronic Legal Materials

The latest draft of The Authentication and Preservation of State Electronic Legal Materials Act, and its accompanying report, were accepted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) on 15 July 2010, according to a report by Professor Barbara Bintliff of the University of Colorado School of Law, the reporter to NCCUSL Drafting Committee on Authentication and Preservation of State Electronic Legal Materials, which is drafting the statute.

According to Professor Bintliff’s report, the NCCUSL Committee of the Whole’s principal comments on the draft were as follows:

a request for clarification of the relationship between the state’s official publishers and commercial publishers; a desire by Commissioners to include “free access” to preserved, historical materials as an option; and a need to explain better the Drafting Committee’s intentions regarding the effective date of the act.

According to Professor Bintliff’s report, the drafting committee will meet again on 19-21 November 2010 in Washington, DC, USA, to address those comments and to consider further revisions to the draft statute. Professor Bintliff’s report states that a second reading of the draft statute by NCCUSL is expected in summer 2011.

Most of the previous drafts and other documents produced by the drafting committee are available at the drafting committee’s documents Website.

The New Legislation.gov.uk: Legislation as Open Linked Data

John L. Sheridan of the UK National Archives and his team have released Legislation.gov.uk, which presents UK legislation as Linked Data, and provides free public access — including bulk access via RESTful API — to UK legislation and legislative metadata in a range of formats, including XML.

Legislation.gov.uk includes both statutes and statutory instruments. Click here for details on the contents of Legislation.gov.uk.

According to the API information page, Legislation.gov.uk data is “free for re-use under data.gov.uk licence terms,” which have “been aligned to be interoperable with any Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Licence. This means that you may mix the information with Creative Commons licensed content to create a derivative work that can be distributed under any Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Licence.”

The new Legislation.gov.uk embodies three key current technology developments relevant to legal informatics:

• The combined use of Permanent URIs, Representational State Transfer (REST), and object-oriented design and modelling characteristic of the O’Reilly Media PRESTO architecture;
• Open government data, characterized by the provision of bulk access to data in machine-processable formats, and Creative-Commons-type “copyleft” licensing; and
• Linked Data, enabling automatic semantic processing of legal texts.

Mr. Sheridan identifies three legal informatics efforts in particular as having furnished ideas that inform Legislation.gov.uk:

• PRESTO, Rick Jelliffe‘s WWW Information Architecture for Legislation and Public Information systems;
• KLISS: The Kansas Legislative Information Services System, created by Sean McGrath of Propylon, for its innovative use of URIs; and
• The Law.gov legal open government data project, and particularly the work of Carl Malamud of Public.Resource.Org.

Of particular interest is the section of the API information page entitled What We Hope Others Might Do, which discusses potential uses of the data accessible via Legislation.gov.uk. This section notes particularly ESD Toolkit, which “have already linked their listing of the powers and duties in legislation on Local Authorities to legislation.gov.uk URIs and are making use of the API to deliver their service.”

Congratulations to Mr. Sheridan and his team on the launch of this highly innovative and generative system!