3 RESULTS

What use is amazing tech if we don’t know how to commercialise it?

Commercialising tech sounds easy. Just get the product moving right? But new technologies mean applying the law differently and a balance must be found. The tension arises from the different teams having different motivators and understandings of the digital or legal landscape.  

The scenario often looks like the tech-savvy team being met with resistance from the legal and compliance experts because new technology can be scary! And while that plays out the commercial and marketing team are chomping at the bit to launch new ideas and technology because they know what their clients want. But in the same breath, they too can be limited in their tech and legal knowledge. Compliance needs to enable commercialisation lawfully.   

It’s this delicate dance that inspired the Lexverse. Michalsons has created a space to explore this push and pull between the legal universe of digital, data and technology. So ultimately, we create the world we want to live in. 

Magic happens where people from diverse disciplines intersect.

We’ve invited leading marketing and advertising practitioner Mike Abel to speak to us. He’s a Founding Partner & Chief Executive of M&C Saatchi Abel and M&C Saatchi Group of companies operating in SA. M&C Saatchi Abel has announced that it has purchased “land” in the newly created Africarare metaverse Ubuntuland. This marks the brand as the first South African and African agency to set up shop in this particular digital world. Africa’s first digital domain Africarare is a 3D virtual reality immersive hub that houses a metaverse marketplace set in Ubuntuland. Investing in the first African metaverse allows M&C Saatchi Abel and its partners access to a global network through social technology designed to remove terrestrial borders and open up trade, collaboration and regional or global partnerships.

This conference is for marketing directors, commercial directors, IT directors, in-house legal counsel, and compliance officers to gather and ignite a spark for future innovations

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Mike is the former CEO of M&C Saatchi Group Australia and before that, co-led the Ogilvy South Africa Group as COO and Group Managing Director, Cape Town. Mike has been awarded Advertising Leader by the Financial Mail and Finweek and his company was named Best Agency in SA in 2015. His company is home to The Street Store, the open-source, pop-up clothing store for the homeless which has become a global movement. He is a speaker and published author of Willing & Abel: Lessons from a Decade in Crisis.

An old hand in a new space | More reasons to attend Lexverse

It is comforting to know that the trailblazers of the regulation of new technologies back in 1985 are still applying their insight and expertise in the intersection of legal and technological advances today.

Alain Bensoussan of Alain Bensoussan Avocats, Paris, is one of our speakers at the Lexverse conference 2022. Mady Delvaux-Stehres, Member of the European Parliament, Vice-Chair of the Committee of Legal Affairs has this to say about him.

 “I was dazzled by Alain Bensoussan when he engaged in an impressively eloquent discourse of human-robot interaction and the ineluctable closer connection between the human and the artificial, pointing at the necessity, even urgency to create a law of robotics. I enjoyed listening to this man, despite not understanding everything he said, and invited him again to elaborate his views in front of all the members of our working group. At this meeting he championed the cause of robots’ and presented us his intelligent and attractive assistant NAO.” 

We share a few highlights of his nearly 40-year professional journey navigating digital, data and tech law.

In 1985 Alain wrote the first “Treatise on computer and telematics law: Theory and practice” published by Berger-Levrault. A few highlights of his tech law journey follow:

In 2006 he created a “Digital Human Rights” commission within the International Union of Lawyers (UIA).

In 2014 he drafted the first “Charter on the rights and duties of robots” and founded the Association of Robots Law (ADDR). And shortly thereafter the published “Droit des robots” (Larcier 2015, of which a second edition appeared in 2019: “IA, Robots et droit”, Bruylant (Bruylant).

In 2016 he created the Association of Data Protection Officers to help DPOs in their function redefined by the GDPR and publication of the book “Data Protection Officer: a new function in the company” (1st edition, Larcier).

Alain will join the Lexverse conference virtually from Paris to discuss

Regulating AI: Global and European approaches.

Countries around the world are introducing legislation to regulate AI. Europe is close to passing the Artificial Intelligence Act and many countries will enact something similar. Hear from Alain, who is the global thought leader on this topic.

Outcomes:

  1. Know some of the latest developments by hearing from the thought leaders. 
  2. Plan your use of AI by considering the regulatory environment. 
  3. Develop a regulatory framework in your country by seeing what other countries are doing.

We invite you to take this opportunity to join Alain and many others at Lexverse on 8 June 2022. The legal universe of digital, data and technology.

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Why the Lexverse Conference?

We’re inspired by business leaders and legislators to create a space for interested people to engage in thoughtful conversation to develop a new mindset to ensure we regulate technology so that we create the world we want to live in. To explore the legal universe regards digital, data and technology – the lexverse.

People can use technology for good as a tool or for evil as a weapon. Technology can bring about enormous benefits to society but it must be used in line with human values. How we regulate technology is one of the biggest human rights issues of our time. It is both critical and complex. It won’t be easy to get it right. But we must get it right so that people use it for good.

What technology needs to be regulated?

We need to regulate information and communication technology. Everything digital. Both existing technology (like computers, phones and the Internet) and emerging technology (like artificial intelligence, virtual reality and the metaverse). Some people call this tech, digital, ICT or IT law.

And the way people use that technology to process data. Not just personal data but all data. With the rise of data science and data analytics, data ethics and data law have become key topics of our time.

Legal or regulatory fields that are changing fast

Every day governments are creating complex regulatory requirements for technology.

Brad Smith, Microsoft

Key fields are privacy, cybersecurity, cybercrime, accessibility, access to information, digital safety, responsible AI, national security and sustainability. The lexverse conference includes all of these fields.

Declaration for the Future of the Internet

A good example of what people can achieve is the Declaration for the Future of the Internet, signed by 60+ international partners to date, and which sets out the vision and principles of a trusted Internet. This declaration sets out the principles to promote a vision of an Internet that is open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, and secure.

Creating your reality

Technology must be designed to serve humankind and not the other way around. By regulating technology we can create the kind of world we want to live in.

What kind of world do we want to live in?

Tim Cook, Apple

Introducing the Lexverse Conference

The lexverse is where law and technology meet. The lexverse is the legal universe regards digital, data and technology. The lexverse conference is a space for us to decide how we regulate technology so that we create the world (or verse) we want to live in.

Tim Cook at the IAPP Global Privacy Summit

On 12 April 2022, Tim Cook spoke at the event and explained why privacy is such an important right.

Brad Smith at the summit

Microsoft President & Vice Chair Brad Smith explains why we are currently in the era of both technology innovation but also technology regulation. He continues to explain why we need a large community, thoughtful conversation and a new mindset to manage this well.