The 41st Nordic Conference on Law and IT in Odense
22-23 October 2026 | Odense, Denmark
Automation is no longer on the horizon; it already acts, watches and transforms the world around us.
Autonomous systems make decisions, agentic AI carries out tasks with limited human oversight, and public authorities and businesses alike increasingly rely on algorithmic tools.
These developments raise pressing questions for the law: who is responsible when automation acts, how do we safeguard fundamental rights when automation watches, and what happens to our services, professions and institutions when automation transforms the way they work?
Under the theme Regulating Automation, the 41st Nordic Conference on Law and IT brings the Nordic law-and-technology community together in Odense.
Over two days, researchers and practitioners from across the Nordic region and beyond present current research and debate the legal, ethical and societal implications of automation.
The programme is organised around three thematic strands
- When Automation Acts
- When Automation Watches
- When Automation Transforms
Each rounded off with a panel discussion.
Wednesday 21 October
Social event: Private tour of H.C. Andersen's House followed by bubbles/bites
Venue: Café Deilig at H.C. Andersen's House. Separate registration.
H.C. Andersen Haven 1–3, 5000 Odense – approx. 600 m from Odense Station (~8 min walk).
Time |
Programme |
| 18.30-19.30 | Private tour of H.C. Andersen's House |
| 19.30-21.00 | Bubbles and bites |
Thursday 22 October – Day 1 - When Automation Acts and Watches
Venue: Brandts (art museum and cultural centre), Amfipladsen 7, 5000 Odense – approx. 950 m from Odense Station (~12 min walk).
Time |
Programme |
Speaker |
| 9.00-9.30 | Registration, coffee and light breakfast | |
| 9.30-9.40 | Welcome and introduction |
When Automation Acts: Robots, Risk and Responsibility
Time |
Programme |
Speaker |
| 9.40-10.10 | Sociology of Law for Human Robot Interaction | Stefan Larsson |
| 10.10-10.40 | Safety by simulation: Theorizing the future of robot regulation | Mika Viljanen |
| 10.40-11.00 | Coffee break | |
| 11.00- 11.30 | Rethinking Civil Liability for Emotional Agentic AI in the EU: The Case of AI Companions | Béatrice Schütte |
| 11.30-12.00 | Who answers to the worker? Responsibility for automated decisions in the workplace |
Natalie Videbæk Munkholm |
| 12.00-12.30 | Panel discussion: Who answers when automation acts? |
Stefan Larsson, Mika Viljanen, Béatrice Schütte, Nathalie Videbæk Munkholm |
| 12.30-13.30 | Lunch |
When Automation Watches: Security, Surveillance and Rights
Time |
Progamme |
Speaker |
| 13.30-14.00 | Personal autonomy in the age of AI | Stanley Greenstein |
| 14.00-14.30 | Agentic AI, jailbreaking and scheming under the AI Act | Thomas Hoffmann |
| 14.30-14.50 | Coffee break | |
| 14.50-15.20 | Algorithmically generated suspicion | Anja Møller Pedersen |
| 15.20-15.50 | Encoded bodies – how law, psychology and genetics have shaped the prediction of antisocial behaviour |
Mareile Kaufmann |
| 15.50-16.20 | Panel discussion: Who watches the watchers? | Commentator: Andrej Savin. Panellists: Stanley Greenstein, Thomas Hoffmann, Anja Møller Pedersen, Mareile Kaufmann. |
| 16.20 | Close of the first day | |
| 18.30 | Conference dinner Den Gamle Kro (anno 1632), Overgade 23, 5000 Odense C. Approx. 800 m from Odense Station (~10 min walk). Separate registration required. |
Friday 23 October – Day 2: When Automation Transforms
Venue: Alfred & Kamilla, Sverigesgade 16, 5000 Odense – approx. 1.6 km from Odense Station (~20 min walk).
Time |
Programme |
Speaker |
| 9.00-9.30 | Coffee and light breakfast | |
| 9.30-10.00 | Deskilled by Design? AI and the Future of Judgement in Healthcare | Anne Gerdes |
| 10.00-10.30 | Governing automation: the consumer spin | Sebastian Schwemer |
| 10.30-10.45 | Coffee break | |
| 10.45-11.15 | Responsible and Sustainable Use of AI – Human Dignity by Design | Jan Trzaskowski |
| 11.15-11.45 | Panel discussion: Who benefits when automation transforms? |
Commentator: Jesper Løffler Panellists: Anne Gerdes, Sebastian Schwemer, Jan Trzaskowski |
| 11.45-12.00 | Coffee break | |
| 12.00-12.30 | Beyond Academic Integrity: Article 50 AI Act and the Governance of AI in Higher Education | Rebecca Schmidt |
| 12.30-13.30 | Lunch | |
| 13.30-14.00 | The Transformative Impact of Automation on the Law: When Bot meets Zombie? |
Lee Bygrave |
| 14.00-14.15 | Presentation of JOU 2026:1 – AI in Legal Education | Law students Kaja Øien Hultgren and Maria M. Moen |
| 14.15-15.00 | Panel discussion: AI in Legal Education and outlooks for the profession | Commentators: Natalie Videbæk Munkholm and Jøren Ullits. Panellists: Casper Laursen (CEO, Pandektes – legal tech), Michael Herbing (AI Lead, Region North, Karnov Group), law students Lene Kåring and Nasjida Noorenstany (coauthors of JOU 2026:1), Rebecca Schmidt, Niels Christian Ellegaard |
| 15.00-15.10 | Farewell |
Download full programme here
Registration and payment take place via Conference Manager.
The conference fee covers participation on 22–23 October, including catering during the conference days.
The evening reception on 21 October and the conference dinner on 22 October require separate registration.
