Announcement: October 2019: Quinn Emanuel Holds Successful Inaugural Event for QE Institute on the Future of the Auto Industry on Artificial Intelligence
On October, 14, 2019, Quinn Emanuel hosted the first Quinn Emanuel Institute for the Future of the Auto Industry event. The Institute, based in the heartland of the German auto industry in Stuttgart, Germany, focuses on pressing topics for the future of the industry from all different angles: legal, policy, and regulatory.
The inaugural event was a seminar regarding autonomous vehicles (“AV”) and artificial intelligence (“AI”) in the auto industry. The speakers discussed the legal, regulatory and safety concerns during the transition from the research and development phase to actual AI and AV products on the road. Attendees included executives and in-house counsel from several of Germany’s major auto makers and their suppliers.
The keynote speaker was the former Administrator of the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), Dr. Mark Rosekind. While at NHTSA, Dr. Rosekind helped create the first federal guidance on self-driving technology in the United States. His presentation, entitled “Safety Innovation in Autonomous Vehicles: Opportunities and Risks,” provided unique insights on regulatory and policy issues for self-driving technology. In his current role as Chief Safety Innovation Officer at autonomous vehicle startup Zoox, Dr. Rosekind provided additional perspective as a current “safety practitioner” involved in testing and building self-driving vehicles today.
Thomas Andrae, a Europe-based venture capitalist and advisor to AI start-up Merantix and Continental’s digital / future mobility division also provided his perspective on how artificial intelligence is likely to change the face of mobility worldwide—going well beyond robo-taxis to logistics and flying autonomous drones.
Quinn Emanuel partner and Chair of the Firm’s Autonomous Vehicle Practice, Jordan R. Jaffe, gave a presentation on early lessons learned from the front lines of autonomous vehicles litigation, including based on his recent experience in the Waymo v. Uber case. Mr. Jaffe addressed how autonomous vehicle intellectual property issues are being litigated, how to best protect AI and AV intellectual property, as well as product liability and data privacy issues likely to arise due to the use of artificial intelligence in the auto industry.
The event concluded with Quinn Emanuel partner Boris Bronfentrinker announcing the topic and date for next seminar from the Institute on April 23, 2020. The topic will be “Cooperation in the Automotive Industry – A Necessity Complicated by Competition Laws. A Transatlantic Perspective.” For more information regarding the Institute or this event please contact events-qeautoinstitute@quinnemanuel.com.