SCL has announced the results of the 2017 SCL Essay Prize.
The winner is Lottie Michael, a fourth-year student at the University of East
Anglia. The essays of two other entrants, Daniel Zwi and Ella Castle, were
highly commended. This year’s competition saw a record number of entries, with
an impressive proportion of high-quality entries.
Lottie Michael’s essay on autonomous vehicles was described
by the judge of the competition as ‘a fascinating discussion of ethical issues
in addition to legal considerations’. She wins £250 in cash and a free place at
the SCL Annual Conference 2017 (including the Conference dinner) on Thursday 8
June 2017 at the IET in London. The winning essay will be published in Computers
& Law.
Lottie Michael said:
‘I am so excited to have won the competition! It was a truly
challenging question and one that I thoroughly enjoyed researching and
discussing. The development of technology and artificial intelligence is
undeniably exciting but it is essential to keep ethical considerations at the
forefront of all discussion. I am very much looking forward to the SCL Conference
– thank you so much to SCL for this opportunity. Additionally, thank you to my
lovely and supportive adviser, Dr Karen Mc Cullagh, who directed me to this
competition.’
Lottie is in her final (4th) year studying for a Law
with European Legal Systems degree at the University of East Anglia. She is
very interested in international security, counter-terrorism, technology and
the law, and will be looking for a career path in this direction.
The two runners-up, Daniel Zwi and Ella Castle, both
addressed the set question concerning the CJEU’s Mc Fadden judgment. Their
essays will be published on the SCL website.
There were 13 valid entries, covering a broad range of
topics – autonomous vehicles, investigatory powers, copyright and privacy and
cyberspace regulation. A number of entries provided valuable and original
insights. The competition judge was impressed by the fact that students are
clearly giving detailed consideration to government publications and
legislative reform proposals and are thinking about the impact of law, and of
technology, on society.
