Chair for Law and
Artificial Intelligence

Prof. Dr. Michèle Finck, LL.M.

CZS Chair for Law and Artificial Intelligence

Geschwister-Scholl-Platz, Neue Aula, Raum 136

72074 Tübingen

michele.finck@uni-tuebingen.de

Personal Webpage

The Chair for Law and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Tübingen carries out research at the intersection of law and artificial intelligence. Our team forms part of the broader Tübingen research environment focused on AI and its interdisciplinary implications. As such, we collaborate closely with the CZS Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Law as well as the Cluster of Excellence “Machine Learning in Science”.

Contact:
Friederike Gruber

Geschwister-Scholl-Platz, Neue Aula, Raum 062

72074 Tübingen

friederike.gruber@uni-tuebingen.de

+49 7071 29 76581 (Monday, Wednesday-Friday 7:30-12:30)


Team

News

  • New Publication: “Robustness and Cybersecurity in the EU Artificial Intelligence Act “

    The article “Robustness and Cybersecurity in the EU Artificial Intelligence Act “ by Henrik Nolte, Miriam Rateike, and Professor Michèle Finck has been published on arXiv. It examines the legal challenges and shortcomings in the provisions related to robustness and cybersecurity for high-risk AI systems (Article 15 AIA) and general-purpose AI models (Article 55 AIA) in the EU Artificial Intelligence Act.

  • Vacancies for Research Associates

    The chair for Law and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Tübingen conducts research on legal issues related to artificial intelligence.

    There are currently three vacancies for Research Associates (m/f/d).

  • PhD Summer School on Artificial Intelligence and Law

    The Chair for Law and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Tübingen is hosting an International PhD Summer School in Artificial Intelligence and EU Law from 12 – 16 May 2025.

  • Michèle Finck Meets Frank-Walter Steinmeier

    Michèle Finck recently had the opportunity for a direct discussion with the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

  • New Publication: "Successful implementation of the EU AI Act requires interdisciplinary efforts"

    The article “Successful implementation of the EU AI Act requires interdisciplinary efforts" by Professor Michèle Finck and Professor Christian Montag has been published by Nature Machine Intelligence. It highlights the need for interdisciplinary collaboration in the context of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act.

  • Newspaper Article Schwäbisches Tagblatt

    Interview with Professor Michèle Finck about her research at the University of Tübingen in the German Newspaper “Schwäbisches Tagblatt”.

  • Newspaper Article FAZ

    Interview with Professor Michèle Finck about the AI Act in the German Newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" (FAZ).

  • Honorable Mentions for our article on Access to Data for Environmental Purposes

    The Chair for Law and Artificial Intelligence is honoured and thrilled to announce that Michèle Finck's and Marie-Sophie Müller's article Access to Data for Environmental Purposes: Setting the Scene and Evaluating Recent Changes to EU Data Law has been awarded Honorable Mentions as part of the JEL Richard Macrory Prize for Best Article 2023.

  • Miriam Rateike Joins as Visiting Researcher in May 2024!

    We are excited to welcome Miriam Rateike as a visiting researcher. She is currently wrapping up her PhD in computer science while also pursuing studies in law. During her visit, Miriam will explore the legal implications of AI, while bringing her technical expertise to our team. We look forward to engaging discussions and the exchange of ideas during her time with us.

  • Research Workshop on Digital Well-Being

    On 18 April 2024, the Chair for Law and Artificial Intelligence held an interdisciplinary Research Workshop on Digital Well-Being at Schloss Hohentübingen with experts from various disciplines that offered invaluable insights into the relationship between well-being and digital activities and engaged in a set of lively and stimulating discussions with the attending researchers.

  • Symposium in Oxford

    Michèle Finck took part in a symposium in Oxford that honored the career of Steve Weatherill. The symposium engaged with the future of the EU internal market and its regulation and also marked the publication of the book “The Internal Market Ideal: Essays in Honour of Stephen Weatherill” to which Michèle contributed a chapter on “The Maturation of European Data Law: From Fundamental Rights to Economic Rights”.

  • Medical Liability: Use of AI in Medicine

    Last week, Henrik Nolte held an online lecture on ’Medical Liability: Use of AI in medicine’ at the medical faculty of the Univesity of Tübingen. The lecture is part of the BMBF-funded "TüKITZMed" project.

Current Projects

The EU Artificial Intelligence Act -
A Commentary to the Provisions Laying Down Harmonised Rules on Artificial Intelligence

Fairness in market instrumental
data law

Cybersecurity of AI-based
Medical Devices

Ecological Concerns in Legal
Data Regulation

Edge Computing and the Principle
of Accountability

Michèle Finck is currently writing a book on the EU Artificial Intelligence Act that will be published by Oxford University Press in 2025. It will be entitled “The EU Artificial Intelligence Act. A Commentary to the Provisions Laying Down Harmonised Rules on Artificial Intelligence”. This book will comprise two parts. The first part will provide a contextual analysis to the AI Act  that engages with topics such as AI and its most pertinent regulatory implications, a regulatory theory perspective on AI as well as a broader analysis of the key themes of the AI Act. The second part is an article-by-article analysis of the final text that examines each of its various provisions in detail.

The Chair for Law and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Tübingen is hosting an International PhD Summer School in Artificial Intelligence and EU Law from 12 – 16 May 2025. The Summer School provides a platform for PhD candidates to engage in dynamic discussions and showcase their research. It will take place at Tübingen castle and will feature expert lectures from leading scholars and practitioners, participant presentations, and social events in view of fostering in-depth discussions amongst participants. The event will be embedded in the lively law and AI communities in Tübingen. Tübingen is home to excellent computer science and law faculties, the newly-founded CZS Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Law as well as the Cluster of Excellence "Machine Learning – New Perspectives for Science," the Tübingen AI Center, the first Chair for Law and Artificial Intelligence in Germany, and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, among others.

What is the role of "fairness" in EU data law? Tommaso Fia's research appraises how ‘fairness’ comes into play as a core principle of EU regulation of data markets. More specifically, he interrogates how fairness has evolved as a legal principle in adjacent bodies (ie data protection and platform law), unveiling its nature, functions and content for market instrumental data governance. Here fairness embodies a principle of substantive justice, particularly evident in concerns on unequal data transactions (commutative justice) and, to a lesser extent, on the uneven distribution of data access and use in society (distributive justice). Normativity furnishes yet another level of complexity. In fact, the meaning of fairness depends on how its justice-related features are normatively conceptualised. His enquiry thus moves on to scrutinising the contending readings of fairness that variously emerge from market instrumental data governance. Four perspectives arise: the welfarist approach, the liberal perfectionist one, the political liberal one, and ‘fairness’ as ‘equality of means and outcomes’. Market instrumental data governance and related interpretive and adjudicative practices have the potential to reflect this wealth of understandings, paving the way towards diverse patterns of data access and use in (EU) data markets.

The exposure of AI-supported medical devices to cybersecurity risks has gained significant momentum in recent years. Numerous studies have found that while the healthcare industry is increasingly reaping the benefits for patients and society, its products are commensurately susceptible to growing vulnerabilities. Cyberattacks on medical devices have the potential to compromise information security, undermine patient privacy, or to put the patients’ health or lives at risk. Against this background Henrik Nolte’s PhD thesis examines the extent to which the European legal framework adequately addresses the complexities associated with the cybersecurity of AI-based medical devices throughout the entire life cycle to protect patient rights. He has published an article about this topic together with Dr. Zeynep Streitmüller in the Zeitschrift für das gesamte Medizinprodukterecht (2024).

The consideration of ecological concerns in legal data regulation is warranted from both factual and legal standpoints. In order to fulfil this ecological potential, ecologically relevant legal instruments in EU data law need to be identified, systematized, and assessed with regard to their effectiveness in comparison to green data governance ideals and legislative objectives. Why should ecological concerns be taken into consideration in EU data law? Which instruments in EU law are ecologicallyrelevant? How can they be systematized? To what extent do they live up to their ecological potential – respectively and in relation to (non-)legal regulatory mechanisms?

Bilge Kaan Güner's doctoral research examines the complex relationship between edge computing technologies in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, and the accountability principle of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In particular, his research focuses on the unique challenges and dynamics presented by the distributed nature of edge computing networks and their ability to accommodate a diverse range of devices. This investigation includes a critical assessment of both the diversity of stakeholders involved and the multifaceted functionality of these networks, particularly in light of GDPR compliance requirements. As the GDPR has been in force for nearly six years, Güner's comparative analysis of these technologies in relation to the GDPR uncovers a critical area of research. His study aims to analyse the nuanced interplay between law, technology and innovation, examine the adequacy of current EU data protection laws in the face of ongoing digital transformations, and provide forward-looking recommendations for policymakers to improve the effectiveness of data protection strategies.

Recent Publications: