Events Calendar

Date:
March 10, 2026
Start:
11:50am
End:
12:50pm
Save to your calendar:
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Location:
TNH 2.140 (Wright Classroom)
On the web:
https://law.utexas.edu/first-amendment-center/events/gregorydickinson/

Calls to “future proof” the legal system against emerging technologies—AI, algorithmic decision-making, deepfakes, and more—now pervade public discourse. Professor Gregory Dickinson challenges the premise that rapid technological change requires similarly rapid lawmaking. Drawing on history, sociology, and public-choice theory, he argues that the most powerful tools for governing technological innovation are the general-purpose principles already embedded in our legal system. From Gutenberg’s press to modern AI systems, premature, technology-specific regulation often entrenches incumbents, suppresses experimentation, and destabilizes legal principles that have proven durable across technological eras. A legal system committed to generality, stability, and adaptability—rather than bespoke rules for each new invention—better protects both innovation and the rule of law.

Lunch will be served. Please register at the link. We hope you join us!

Faculty Colloquia Series:
Specific audiences:
  • Texas Law students
  • Faculty
  • Staff
  • General public
Sponsored by:
  • Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the sponsor listed above or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.