AI and Consumer Protection Law (LAWS90165)

Consumers are at the forefront of changes to markets and products driven by advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and related data driven processes digital, such as machine learning, neural networks, natural language processing, and computer vision. Almost every aspect of modern society technology is changing markets and the way in which consumers interact with them. This subject investigates the challenges raised by this transformation for laws that aim to protect consumers and for the ethical and policy values that underpin these regimes. It will do this through a series of case studies critically examining different features of the consumer-market exchange in a digital age and the responses by governments to date. Through the lens of these case studies, students will:

• critically consider the adequacy of traditional policy and law in responding to the challenges raised by AI in the consumer market;
• explore what additional types of interventions and strategies might be used in responding to the distinctive characteristics of AI in consumer markets; and
• investigate and evaluate the responses of different jurisdictions, including, as relevant, Australia, India, China, ASEAN, European Union, Canada and the United States in addressing effective consumer protection in a digital age.