We warmly invite you to attend this event, organised jointly with the Society for Research in Higher Education (SRHE) Digital University Network.
Governing AI in higher education: applying human rights to the post-AI condition
When: 25 September 2026, 2:00-3:30 PM BST
Where: Edinburgh Futures Institute, room 2.55
Book your tickets: link. The event is free to SRHE members and UoE staff and students.
Refreshments will be provided after the event, as well as networking opportunity.
Overview
This event explores how human rights can meaningfully shape AI governance in higher education and research. It considers higher education broadly, including teaching, learning, research, knowledge dissemination and academic work, and frames the discussion through the "post-AI condition": an environment shaped by socio-technical, legal, political-economic and cultural dynamics in which AI is omnipresent, policy and regulation struggle to keep pace with Big Tech and Big AI, and human rights are challenged. The event adopts a human rights approach to AI governance as a fundamental layer through which AI affects universities, students, academics, researchers and democratic knowledge systems. Contributions address academic labour and procurement governance, public AI and the rights to science and education, data privacy and citizens' agency, and the role of higher education institutions in shaping accountable AI.
Agenda
14.00 – 14.10: Welcome and introduction
14.10 – 15.00: Speakers’ contributions
- 14.10 – 14.25 Aída Ponce Del Castillo, ETUI: How AI challenges human rights for academic labour
- 14.25 – 14. 40 Klaus Beiter, North-West University: Public AI and Rights to Science and Education
- 14.40 – 14.55 Ayça Atabey, University of Edinburgh: AI impact on data privacy and citizens’ agency
15.00 – 15.30: Q&A