5th Conference of the 新万博体育下载_万博体育app【投注官网】 and the 新万博体育下载_万博体育app【投注官网】 of Johannesburg
The cooperation between the 新万博体育下载_万博体育app【投注官网】 of Augsburg and the 新万博体育下载_万博体育app【投注官网】 of Johannesburg (South Africa) celebrated its 25th anniversary on 10 July. To mark the occasion, the initiator of this success story, Prof. Dr Dr h.c. Helmut Koopmann, was invited as guest of honour to the conference, which took place in Augsburg at the beginning of July. The partnership includes regular lecture series that take place every two years, alternating between South Africa and Augsburg, and for which a corresponding English-language conference volume is always published. This year, the proceedings will once again be edited by Prof. Dr. Kathleen van der Linde, Executive Dean of the 新万博体育下载_万博体育app【投注官网】 at the 新万博体育下载_万博体育app【投注官网】 of Johannesburg, and Prof. Dr. Prof. h.c. Thomas M.J. M?llers. Prof. Dr. Gregor Kirchhof, Dean of the 新万博体育下载_万博体育app【投注官网】 at the 新万博体育下载_万博体育app【投注官网】 of Augsburg, emphasised: "Our long-standing partnership with Johannesburg gave us the opportunity to exchange ideas on the important topic of 'AI and sustainability' and to strengthen the cooperation between our two universities at this meeting."
The 新万博体育下载_万博体育app【投注官网】 has been significantly involved in the cooperation from the outset - not least through personal connections, for example via Prof. Dr. Charl Hugo, Professor Emeritus of Banking Law at the 新万博体育下载_万博体育app【投注官网】 of Johannesburg, and Prof. Dr. Prof. h.c. Thomas M.J. M?llers, holder of the Chair of Civil Law, Commercial Law, European Law, Private International Law and Comparative Law at the 新万博体育下载_万博体育app【投注官网】 of Augsburg.
Legal conference alternating between South Africa and Augsburg
The conference took place for the fifth time at the beginning of July 2025: From 2 to 6 July, a total of 35 professors, postdocs and doctoral students met in Augsburg for a joint scientific exchange on all aspects of "AI and sustainability".
At the suggestion of Prof. Dr. Frank Kramer, Vice President for Internationalisation, Digitalisation and Technology Alliances at the 新万博体育下载_万博体育app【投注官网】 of Augsburg, who opened the conference programme with a welcoming address, an interdisciplinary approach was chosen for this year's conference: With contributions from Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schultze, Prof. Dr. Katja Sarkowski and Prof. Dr. Martin Middeke, the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Philology and History were also represented. In his welcoming address, Prof. Dr. Frank Kramer emphasised that the conference theme of "AI and sustainability" placed two keywords at the centre of the conference that are also very important at the 新万博体育下载_万博体育app【投注官网】 of Augsburg.Sharing ideas and strengthening networks
In his introductory contribution to the conference, Prof. Dr. Prof. h.c. Thomas M.J. M?llers also emphasised the importance of the exchange with young researchers as a cornerstone of cooperation. The presentations and conference contributions centred on the use of AI for sustainable development in the context of company rescue proceedings, AI and the screening of trade documentation in a time of targeted sanctions, the use of AI to detect online harmful expression and the path towards a framework for international AI governance and cooperation. There was also a discussion on the ethical consequences of AI in relation to product liability and delict in South Africa. The conference proceedings are due to be published this autumn.