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2024 Randolph W. Thrower Symposium

2024 Thrower Symposium graphic
The Promise and Challenge of Artificial Intelligence in the Information Age

Hosted annually by the Emory Law Journal since 1995, the Thrower Symposium honors the life and legacy of Mr. Randolph W. Thrower (1913–2014). The 2024 Thrower Symposium will explore Artificial Intelligence in the Legal Landscape.

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If you have any questions about the symposium, please email Aniket Pai, Executive Symposium Editor.


The release of GPT 3 and ChatGPT by Open AI in late 2022 has taken the world by storm. It has raised fundamental ethical and legal issues regarding the legitimacy of algorithmic decision-making, the social impact of algorithmic decision-making, and various liability and regulatory puzzles created by substituting human decision-makers with AI systems. These issues are particularly pressing because many of our existing legal frameworks are premised on human decision-making on a case-by-case basis. The time is ripe for the 2024 Thrower Symposium to address AI and the ground-breaking changes it will usher in in the coming years.

The symposium will consist of a keynote speech followed by three panels, listed below:

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

 Registration and Breakfast: 8:00 - 8:50 a.m., Hunter Atrium

Welcoming Remarks: 9:00 - 9:15 a.m., Tull Auditorium

KEYNOTE: 9:15 - 10:15 a.m., Tull Auditorium

  • PROF. ORLY LOBEL, Warren Distinguished Professor of Law, University of San Diego School of Law

Break: 10:15 - 10:30 a.m., Hunter Atrium

PANEL 1: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN MEDICINE, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Tull Auditorium

This panel discusses whether, when, and how the so-called actions of machines can and should result in legal liability and the problem of contextual bias in implementing medical AI in different communities.

  • Dr. Anant Madhabhushi, Professor, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech
  • Prof. Nicholson Price, Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
  • Prof. Sara Gerke, Assistant Professor of Law, Penn State Dickinson Law

Lunch: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m., Hunter Atrium

PANEL 2: THE COPYRIGHT PROBLEM, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m., Tull Auditorium

This panel will discuss the implications of inventor-less inventions on copyright law. 

  • Prof. Jessica Silbey, Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law
  • Prof. Matthew Sag, Professor of Law, Emory University School of Law
  • Prof. Aleksander J. Goranin, Partner, Duane Morris LLP

Break: 2:30 - 2:45 p.m., Hunter Atrium

PANEL 3: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE & DATA PRIVACY, 2:45 - 4:15 p.m., Tull Auditorium

This panel will discuss the impact of AI on the labor force and data privacy.

  • Prof. Ari Waldman, Professor of Law, University of California, Irvine
  • Ms. Jane Horvath, Partner, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP
  • Prof. Ifeoma Yvonne Ajunwa, Professor of Law, Emory University School of Law

Concluding Remarks: 4:15 - 4:30 p.m., Tull Auditorium

Reception: 4:30 - 6:00 p.m., Hunter Atrium


Randolph Thrower

Since 1995, Emory University School of Law and the & Emory Law Journal have hosted the Randolph W. Thrower Symposium, part of an endowed lecture series sponsored by Thrower's family. Randolph Thrower 34C 36L graduated from Emory College and Emory University School of Law and achieved wide acclaim through his active practice of law and devotion to public service. Mr. Thrower passed away in 2014.

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Past Symposia