The Sedona Conference Working Group 13 Midyear Meeting 2025

Date: 
Thursday, September 11, 2025 - 8:45am to Friday, September 12, 2025 - 1:00pm

Location:

The Hyatt Regency Reston
1800 Presidents Street
Reston, VA 20190

The WG13 Steering Committee is pleased to announce the preliminary agenda for the upcoming midyear meeting. 

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve at a rapid pace, its impact on legal systems, regulatory structures, and societal norms is profound and far-reaching. From automated decision-making and predictive analytics to generative AI and autonomous systems, these technologies are challenging the very foundations of legal reasoning, enforcement, and accountability. The Sedona Conference Working Group 13 Midyear Meeting is a premier gathering dedicated to examining, and having spirited dialogue about, these critical issues at the intersection of law and emerging technology.

This conference brings together a diverse community of judges, legal scholars, practitioners, technologists, ethicists, and policymakers to engage in rigorous dialogue and thought leadership. Together, we will explore how legal systems must adapt to ensure justice, transparency, and fairness in an era increasingly shaped by intelligent machines.

While the topics outlined below reflect the core focus areas, the agenda remains dynamic and will continue to evolve based on faculty input and ongoing developments.

Hotel Reservation Information:

We have obtained a very favorable room rate at the Hyatt Regency Reston of $275 per night for a limited block of rooms. This rate will be available to you for three days prior to and three days post the meeting dates. Details on reserving your room at this special group rate will be included in your registration confirmation email. Our room block will be held until August 20, but the hotel could fill up prior to that date, so please reserve your room when you register if you plan to stay at the Hyatt Regency Reston.

Membership:

To attend the meeting or join other Working Group 13 activities, you must either be a member of The Sedona Conference Working Group Series in good standing or an employee of a Working Group Series Sponsor. Judges, full-time government employees, and academics in accredited non-profit educational institutions may obtain a complimentary WGS membership and enjoy special consideration in meeting registration fees.

CLE:

The Sedona Conference will seek CLE accreditation for this meeting in selected jurisdictions, as dictated by attendance.

Working Group 13 Midyear Meeting 2025 Agenda

Time Session Dialogue Leaders
  Wednesday, September 10, 2025  
5:30 — 7:30 p.m. Welcome Reception  
  Thursday, September 11, 2025  
7:30 — 8:30 a.m. Sign-In & Buffet Breakfast (provided)  
8:30 — 8:45 a.m. Welcome and Announcements  
8:45 — 9:45 a.m. Session 01: Latest and Greatest AI, and Emerging Legal Challenges  
  This panel will explore emerging AI technologies that are transformative and therefore poised to spawn a new generation of legal issues: delivery robots cruise sidewalks, businesses deploy biometric scanners, employers use virtual recruiters, AI tools for legal practice, and generated music videos – all raising thorny questions involving AI system liabilities, privacy, and intellectual property. The panel will discuss the latest advancements in AI reasoning capabilities and how these technologies create broader cultural and societal shifts that will shape future litigation.
9:45 — 10:45 a.m. Session 02: AI & the Law in the U.S.: Navigating Cases, Regulations, and Ethical Considerations  
  This panel will explore the current state of the law as it relates to AI in the United States, with a focus on four key areas: emerging and precedent-setting court cases, proposed and enacted federal and state regulations, rulemaking efforts by agencies such as the FTC, DOJ, and USPTO, and evolving standards of professional competency for attorneys and judges using or encountering AI in practice. Panelists will examine how courts are treating AI-generated content, liability and authorship issues, and concerns relating to the use of AI in hiring/employment decision-making. The discussion will also cover recent regulatory developments—including transparency mandates, algorithmic accountability proposals, and privacy-focused initiatives—and the broader implications for compliance and innovation. Finally, the panel will address how legal professionals are expected to remain competent in an era of AI-assisted lawyering, including new guidance from bar associations and judicial ethics bodies.
10:45 — 11:00 a.m. Morning Break  
11:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m. Session 03: Global Legal Perspective on Emerging Trends  
  AI is reshaping industries worldwide, and its legal implications are becoming a focal point of discussion across Europe, the U.K., Canada, and Asia. In Europe, the proposed E.U. AI Act is setting the stage for comprehensive regulation, emphasizing transparency, accountability, and ethical AI use. The U.K. is advancing its AI strategy with a focus on balancing innovation and regulation, particularly in sectors like healthcare, finance, and autonomous systems, while addressing legal challenges such as liability and data protection. Canada, a hub for AI research, is exploring the intersection of AI and law, with a strong emphasis on ethical frameworks and privacy legislation. In Asia, countries like China and Japan are leading in AI adoption, raising questions about cross-border data governance, intellectual property rights, and regulatory harmonization. Key trends include the rise of generative AI, the legal complexities of AI-driven automation, and the global push for ethical AI standards. This panel will explore AI-related regulatory developments from a comparative law perspective.
12:00 — 1:00 p.m. Session 04: Navigating AI Governance - Current Frameworks, Legal Considerations, Corporate Practices, and Future Readiness  
  As AI continues to reshape industries and legal landscapes. This panel will showcase a number of experts to explore the evolving domain of AI governance – how organizations can responsibly select, assess, and integrate AI technologies while preparing to meet emerging legal and regulatory expectations. This session will also provide an update on the work of the AI Governance Brainstorming Group and the progress made to date in addressing each of these topics.
1:00 — 2:30 p.m. Lunch (provided)  
2:30 — 4:00 p.m. Session 05: AI Consensus Definitions Brainstorming Group & AI Regulatory Crosswalk Drafting Team  
  The purpose of this panel is two-fold. The first is to build a shared legal vocabulary. As AI continues to transform the legal landscape, the need for a clear, consistent vocabulary has never been more urgent. This session will highlight the work of the AI Consensus Definitions brainstorming group, which is developing foundational definitions to support legal analysis, policy development, and professional guidance around AI technologies. The panel will present the group's progress to date, share the working outline of key terms and concepts, and engage attendees in a dialogue about the project's direction. A central question will be whether the initiative is ready to transition from brainstorming to the drafting phase – shaping the language that will underpin the legal profession's – and WG13's – engagement with AI.

The second purpose of the panel is to present an initial AI regulatory crosswalk outlining practical approaches to regulating AI. This panel will examine how existing legal frameworks in the US, Canada, and certain other relevant jurisdictions address key issues associated with AI. Discussion will center on the comparative effectiveness of current laws and regulations, identifying both areas of adequate coverage and notable gaps where amendments or new legislation may be necessary. Additionally, the panel will consider whether comprehensive AI legislation is appropriate or if more targeted legislative amendments and reliance on established regulatory and judicial approaches offer a more practical path forward.
4:00 — 4:15 p.m. Afternoon Break  
4:15 — 5:30 p.m. Session 06: Working Sessions for Current WG13 Brainstorming Group and Drafting Teams  
  Breakout sessions will include:

• Consensus Definitions Relating to AI and the Law
• "How-to" Guide for AI Governance
• AI and the Law Regulatory Crosswalk
• Develop and Document a Custom Sedona AI Tool
5:30 — 7:30 p.m. Reception (guests invited)  
  Friday, June 21, 2024  
7:30 — 8:30 a.m. Sign-In & Buffet Breakfast (provided)  
8:30 — 9:45 a.m. Session 07: The Intersection of AI and the Law and the Resulting Impact on Evidence, Copyright, Rights in AI, and How Humans Fit In  
  Agentic AI, proposed new Federal Rule of Evidence 707, similar rules or proposals in Canada, copyright litigation involving GenAI, protecting rights in AI, and balancing AI and human involvement are evolving developments. Our goal is to predict where and how these developments will have a noticeably impactful effect. This discussion is intended to develop and focus WG 13's future efforts involving the intersection and impact of AI and the law.
9:45 — 11:00 a.m. Session 08: Views From the Bench on AI and the Law  
  A perennial Sedona Conference favorite, this judges' panel will offer insights from the bench on both acknowledged and unacknowledged AI as it comes to court, as well as the ways in which generative AI is being used by legal professionals and judicial officers. Topics will include:

• What legal evidentiary issues are implicated by known AI evidence?
• Judicial thoughts on proposed new Federal Rule of Evidence 707
• Are the Federal and State Evidence Rules up to the task of dealing with deepfakes?
• How can courts deal with the "liar's dividend"?
• Are the courts ready for avatars, whether presenting oral arguments or making witness impact statements?
• How to best address hallucinated citations in court filings
• How are judges using AI in chambers, and should they be?
11:00 — 11:15 a.m. Morning Break  
11:15 a.m. — 12:30 p.m. Session 09: Building AI the Sedona Way: Principles-Driven Innovation for the Practice of Law  
  What does it take to build AI tools grounded in Sedona's objectives of moving the law forward in a reasoned and just way? This session will explore key considerations in developing responsible AI for legal practice, including decisions around technology stack, system architecture, and open-source versus proprietary components. Panelists will address the data curation process central to RAG systems and methods for benchmarking AI performance to assess accuracy and reliability. The discussion will offer practical insights into designing AI systems for the legal profession.
12:30 — 12:45 p.m. Closing Remarks  
12:45 p.m. Adjournment and Grab-&-Go Lunch (provided)  

*Denotes Session Moderator

Date: 
Friday, July 25, 2025 - 12:35pm