Academic Lecture by Professor Georg Borges

December 7, 2015

On Friday, December 4, 2015, an academic lecture by Professor Georg Borges (Saarland University) titled ""Pepper" and the Law: Is Legal Reform Necessary to Address New Technologies? ("Pepper" und das Recht - Reformbedarf im Recht durch neue Technologien?)" was held in Room 472 of the South School Building at Keio University's Mita Campus.

"Pepper" is a personal robot with emotions provided by SoftBank. Is current law sufficient to address the new digital world symbolized by "Pepper"? To answer this question, the lecture examined in detail the issues of liability for damages and the responsible parties in specific cases such as accidents involving self-driving cars, murders by domestic robots, and hacking attacks on steel mills. The professor concluded that legal reforms suitable for the digital world are essential, and he ended his lecture with the following words: "This new world we live in also presents a challenge to the law. The law is being forced to embark on finding new solutions."

The lecture was attended not only by civil law scholars but also by researchers in criminal law and civil procedure, as well as experts in information technology and robotics. In the Q&A session, a lively discussion took place between the professor and the participants from various perspectives, ranging from how to frame the problems and analytical viewpoints to the proposed form of legislation presented in the conclusion, resulting in a meaningful academic exchange.