This course is an introduction to the procedural and substantive American law that forms the legal environment of artificial intelligence with emphasis on the private for-profit sector, with some discussion of international legal frameworks (i.e., EU AI Act). The course is intendedto help students: (1) gain a basic understanding of American legal principles; (2) apply legal and business knowledge to emerging technology regulatory environments such as artificial intelligence; (3) comprehend how the law affects and shapes artificial intelligence; (4) identify andcritically analyze legal issues arising inthe artificial intelligence context with a primary focus on the private sector; (5) understand the impact of legal and regulatory decisions broadly; (6) differentiate between mandatory legal compliance and industry self-regulation; and (7) appreciate the importance of legal risk management for artificial intelligence.

This course asks who governs AI by examining global institutions, national governments, technology corporations, and publics, comparing how each claims governing authority, what tools it uses, and where their competing visions of AI's future collide.