Professor Nancy Kim, holding the Michael Paul Galvin Chair in Entrepreneurship and Applied Legal Technology at Chicago-Kent College of Law, has co-edited a new book addressing legal challenges in emerging technology. The work, titled "The Cambridge Handbook of Emerging Issues at the Intersection of Commercial Law and Technology," is a collaboration with Stacy-Ann Elvy from the University of California, Davis School.
Kim highlights the increasing complexity of legal issues arising from technological advancements. "With technology, our lives are becoming easier but also more complex," she notes. She emphasizes the need for expertise across various legal domains to address these issues effectively: “Someone might have an expertise in privacy, but they don’t necessarily have an expertise in commercial law."
In her efforts to bridge disciplinary gaps, Kim collaborated with Illinois Tech Associate Professor Ruth Schmidt on a chapter about design's impact on social interactions and privacy. Kim values being part of a tech-focused institution where colleagues understand both technical and legal aspects.
Additionally, Kim partnered with Lance Fortnow, dean of Illinois Tech’s College of Computing, on a chapter discussing AI-related challenges in contract and commercial law. She acknowledges that neither could have tackled this topic alone due to its technical and legal intricacies.
Reflecting on AI's evolving nature, Kim mentions that when they began their work, tools like ChatGPT were not yet released. She observes how perceptions of AI have shifted over time and anticipates further changes as understanding deepens.
Kim aims for the book to foster comprehensive thinking about technology's societal impacts. “It’s disconcerting if we talk about technology only in terms of businesses and the economic benefits,” she states. She stresses the importance of weighing societal costs against benefits.
Kim advocates for cross-disciplinary collaboration to address humanity's pressing issues. “Fortunately, there are a lot of lawyers and policymakers who are thinking about the human implications of tech,” she concludes.