Is the Brussels Effect Real? European AI Regulation in Comparative Perspective

This course uses the Brussels Effect as a framework to assess its relevance to contemporary technology regulation, focusing on artificial intelligence. It asks whether EU AI regulation is emerging as a global reference model or whether AI governance is instead developing along fragmented or competing paths. Adopting a comparative legal approach, the course examines AI governance across major jurisdictions, beginning with the European Union and extending to the United States, South America, and Asia. It concentrates on three regulatory pillars: data protection, with emphasis on the GDPR and its application to AI systems; ex ante obligations for developers and deployers under the EU AI Act; and liability regimes addressing harms caused by software and AI systems, including the revised EU Product Liability Directive.