Symposium CNEJ-EEEI:
Judicial Expertise and Artificial Intelligence
Feedback by Etienne Claes – Copresident EEEI
The conference on 23 and 24 October in Mechelen, near Brussels, was a truly unique moment in a very specific context linked to the health crisis. In fact, 5 associations: CNEJ / NCGD, AMEJ, BENEVERMEDEX and SRBML have come together for a conference dealing with artificial intelligence and its implications on judicial expertise. During two days, outstanding speakers as well as many stakeholders from the scientific, legal and digital communities shared their knowledge and outlook on scientific developments, as well as their experiences using artificial intelligence in medicine and forensic expertise.
Our goal was to have a meeting where both speakers and attendees could have the opportunity to participate in person, and to have the opportunity to “meet and greet”. Interpersonal contacts is one of the key of EEEI as a Think-Tank. Unfortunately, because of the developments of COVID-19 concerns throughout Europe, we felt it was our duty to organize the opportunity to attend “online”. We achieved this through organizing a “VIMEO” conferencing channel. Hence, a “hybrid format” with both physical and at a distance attendance.
Some of our speakers had to travel through different countries. Others had to comply with internal regulations preventing them to take part to a “live” event. Therefore, we organized a specific channel for them through the “Zoom” application.
The conference was therefore formatted in a “dual hybrid” mode, with both physical and remote presence of speakers and participants. Thanks to our communication team expertly led by Martine Otter, and with the local help of the CNEJ / NCGD, the AMEJ, BENEVERMEDEX and the SRBML, we were able to manage the situation satisfactorily for all. The event was also COVID19 compliant for all who attended the event at the meeting place in Mechelen.
This experience leads us to believe that this “dual hybrid mode” is likely to remain, and develop in the Post-Covid world. Indeed, in the future, we will have to cope with travel restrictions due to climate concerns, to mobility concerns, as well as to time pressure put on all judicial expertise’s stakeholders. Thanks to this proven expertise, this is a challenge we are willing to address.
We are deeply grateful to our outstanding speakers
Thank you, M. Jean-Pierre BUYLE, Lawyer, former President of the Bar of Brussels; Prof Dr MD Philippe COUCKE, head of Radiation Therapy, ULG; Prof Daniel DEFAYS, Mathematician and Statistician; Dr Katleen GABRIELS, Assistant Professor in Ethics and Philosophy of Technology; Dr Pia GENET, MD, Forensic imaging and anthropology, Lausanne; M. DRIES GLORIEUX, Business unit manager prosthetics and rehab at OTTO BOCK; M. Rabin GURBANOV, President of the European Commission for Efficiency of Justice who supports our activities, but unfortunately could not attend; Jean-Raymond Lemaire, Honorary President of EEEI; Prof Dr Alex MOTTRIE, Head of Urology at OLV Aalst, CEO at ORSI Academy;Pr Dr Marc NOPPEN, MD, CEO at UZ Brussel; Eric Parize, Senior IT Consultant, Deputy Secretary general EEEI; Alain PILETTE, Deputy Director Justice, DG JAI Justice and Home Affairs at Council of the European Union; Robert RANQUET, Vice-President EEEI; Eric ROBERT, Judge; Bruno SCHRODER, National Technology Officer, Microsoft; Prof Christophe Stove, MD, prof Toxicology University of Ghent; Pr Dr Herman TOURNAYE, MD Director Centre for Reproductive Medicine at UZ Brussel; Tom VAN de WEGHE, Journalist VRT; Adrien Van den BRANDEN, Lawyer Co-Founder & CEO at Canyon.
Co-organization with local experts’ associations
The Malines conference format was an organization of EEEI together with 4 experts association: CNEJ/NCGD, the National College of Judicial Experts of Belgium, together with the Belgium society for forensic medicine, as well as AMEJ (french speaking part of Belgium),and Benevermedex (flemish speaking part of Belgium) the associations of M.D. experts in Belgium. Although all these associations have there specificities, they share common ground. All the associations gathered their own speakers who contributed to the enrichment of the debates.
Co-organisation enables to get to know each other’s point of view. We are looking in the same direction, and we widely share the same concerns, but with different viewpoints: this contributes to the enrichment of the debate.
The format of this conference is therefore something we are willing to replicate in other countries, with the help of local members’ organizations: Courts, Bars, Experts and Universities.
We are thankful to all EEEI members and sympathizers who have contributed to making of this conference a success.
It is clear that the COVID19 crisis is directing us to rethink the way we discuss and communicate, the drafting of our projects, our information methods and our training topics.