As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in legal systems and professional practice, understanding its impact requires more than technological expertise alone - it also requires a deeper understanding of legal reasoning, analytical methods and how law can respond to technological change. The EUI Law Department addressed these challenges through the 2026 editions of the AI and Law Summer School (6-10 July) and the Law and Logic Summer School (13-18 July), each of which brought together more than 50 participants in Florence and online for two weeks of intensive learning and discussion.
Now in its seventh edition, the AI and Law Summer School explored the technologies transforming legal research and practice, combining theoretical foundations with practical applications. Participants examined approaches ranging from knowledge-based systems and machine learning to text analytics and legal forecasting. They also addressed key regulatory and societal questions raised by the use of artificial intelligence in legal contexts, including fairness, explainability, the AI Act and the role of generative AI in courts.
Established in 2012 and now in its thirteenth edition, the Law and Logic Summer School complemented this perspective by focusing on the formal methods that support legal reasoning. Through training in the Logocratic method, propositional, predicate and deontic logic, as well as argumentation and case-based reasoning, participants explored how legal arguments can be represented, evaluated and applied in complex decision-making processes.
Together, the two programmes highlighted the importance of combining technological understanding with rigorous approaches to legal analysis. By bringing together researchers, legal practitioners and professionals from different backgrounds, the summer schools created an international environment for interdisciplinary exchange on the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and legal reasoning.
The international character of the two summer schools is underpinned by long-standing collaborations with leading academic institutions. The AI and Law Summer School is jointly organised with the University of Pittsburgh and Utrecht University, while the Law and Logic Summer School is co-hosted by the University of Bologna and Harvard Law School. These partnerships reflect the EUI Law Department’s commitment to international collaboration and interdisciplinary legal education. Applications for the 2027 editions will open in February 2027.