Sawyier Conference on the Ethics of Technology

9 December 2025

In November 2025, Eylül Erva Akin (Technology, Media and Telecommunications Law LLM, 2021) was invited to speak at the 2nd Sawyier Conference on the Ethics of Technology at the Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. The conference brought together scholars to explore how emerging technologies are changing the ways we live, relate to one another and understand ourselves.

For Eylül, participating in this conference also carried a significance as an alumna of Queen Mary University of London. She completed the Technology, Media and Telecommunications Law LLM in 2021 through the EULISP programme and the experience continues to shape her work on AI governance and intellectual property. Engaging with international audiences in Chicago offered a meaningful opportunity to represent QMUL’s strong tradition in technology law while contributing to contemporary debates on the ethics of AI.

Eylül’s presentation, “Why Copyright Must Remain Human-Centric,” examined the philosophical and legal implications of extending copyright or authorship to AI-generated works. She argued that granting such protections to machine-produced outputs risks severing the essential link between rights and accountability. Drawing on her doctoral research, Eylül emphasised that human creativity rooted in intention, responsibility and dignity must remain at the centre of copyright frameworks, particularly as generative AI becomes increasingly prevalent. The talk generated thoughtful discussion among attendees, highlighting how questions of authorship intersect with broader ethical concerns in AI regulation.

The event came at a meaningful moment in Eylül’s academic journey, as she prepares for her PhD defence at the University of Milan in December. Engaging with scholars in philosophy, ethics and law offered fresh perspectives that enriched her work at the intersection of law and technology.