European Law Summer University: an event inviting students from Lithuania, France and Germany

The 19th European Law Summer University “Artificial intelligence in Europe. Which legal regulation is necessary, which is possible and what remains of the law?” (L’intelligence artificielle en Europe: L’intelligence artificielle en Europe. La question des régulations juridiques nécessaires et leur mise en oeuvre; Künstliche Intelligenz in Europa: Welche rechtlichen Regulierungen sind erforderlich, welche sind möglich und was bleibt vom Recht übrig?) was organised by the VU Law Faculty in cooperation with the J.W. Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and the University of Paris Nanterre and was held from 26 June to 3 July.

At the opening of the 19th European Law Summer University, the participants were greeted by Dr. Artūras Vasiliauskas, Vice-Rector for Partnerships at Vilnius University, Rüdiger Christoph Zettel, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr Klaus Guenther, Professor at the J.W. Goethe University of Frankfurt-am-Main, and Assoc. Prof. Haroldas Šinkūnas, Dean of the VU Law Faculty.

The lectures of the European Law Summer University were attended by students from the Law Faculty and the above-mentioned universities, who came to Vilnius from Germany and France. The lectures focused on the principles of artificial intelligence (AI), its applications, the challenges posed by AI to copyright and data security and possible solutions. Other topics included the regulation of cyberspace and cross-border conflicts, conspiracy theories and how to counter them, etc. In addition, students prepared and presented their own presentations.

This summer school aims not only to enrich students’ legal knowledge and skills, but also to introduce them to Lithuanian culture. On 29 June, the students visited Birštonas for a guided tour of its history, followed by a boat trip across the Nemunas river to admire the forested landscape. On 2 July, the participants also explored Vilnius and learned about the history of the Lithuanian capital.

Finally, on 3 July, the students were awarded their certificates and said their fond farewells as they looked forward to next year’s traditional 20th Summer School.

It is interesting to find out what impressions the participants had of the event and what experiences they take away with them, so we invite you to also read the students’ feedback.

How did you decide to participate in the European Law Summer University?

Sofia Manzhula (VU Teisės fakultetas)
I had experience with the Summer University last autumn, and it was great, so I decided to try it once again. And I‘m interested in the AI, so that sounded like a great opportunity.

Josué Lafont (University of Paris Nanterr)
We received an email and we learned that it was a nice event organized by the Vilnius University. Learning that our University was working together on this project, was encouraging to us to attend. And the topic of AI was also very interesting to both my friend and me, we were very interested to see a new country and find a new point of view on law and AI. For us, it was a great opportunity to visit a new country and a whole new university, and gain knowledge.

Have you learned anything new during the European Law Summer University?

Jana Deppe (University of Paris Nanterr)
Honestly, I didn‘t know anything about AI before. sS everything that was taught was pretty new to me.

Alan Zelba (VU Law Faculty)
I think international experience is very important. The lecturers from France and Germany gave so many new ideas about the application of artificial intelligence in different areas of law. I think that internationality helps to further improve.

Lilly Valentina Heller (J.W. Goethe University Frankfurt am Main)
A lot of input about artificial intelligence, of course, but also a lot of cultural input, since we were doing a many activities outside of the university, organized by the team themselves or sometimes by us, students. So we exchanged a lot of things with each other and saw different cultures during our private talks, group discussions. And when it comes back to AI – yes, we learned a lot of new information, legal aspects, and new regulations that we wouldn‘t even have thought about. There were even some non-legal points of view on AI, that were really interesting.

What did you like most in Lithuania and Vilnius?

Jana Deppe (University of Paris Nanterr)
It‘s my first time in Vilnius, but I‘m Polish, so it‘s nice to see all the similarities. All the food, that my grandma made, I could also eat here. The architecture is also pretty similar, so I feel like at home here.

Josué Lafont (University of Paris Nanterr)
The capacity of the country to adapt in these last 30 years. It was amazing to see a modern city that was built so fast. From that you can see the strength of the country and the people living here, I think Vilnius is an example for other cities that want to be modern. I want to congratulate the people of Lithuania.

Lilly Valentina Heller (J.W. Goethe University Frankfurt am Main)
I liked the calmness of the people, everybody seemed really chill. Also, the city is very clean. There is no language barrier, everybody is so open-minded. And the city itself is so beautiful architecturally and culturally. We were walking by the river and there was a free public concert and an open-air cinema, which was completely free, but it was so nice and there were all these people from Lithuania and elsewhere just enjoying the music and cinema. The vibe and atmosphere are just great.