Artificial Intelligence, Animals, and the Law

The “Artificial Intelligence, Animals, and the Law” conference will take place November 7 – 9, 2025, at The George Washington University Law School. Organized by Kathy Hessler, Jamie McLaughlin, and Joan Schaffner, the event brings together attorneys and experts to examine how AI intersects with animal law and to discuss its implications for humans, animals, and the environment. On November 8, the panel „Applications and Considerations When Using AI for Animals“ will feature Oliver Bendel, Yip Fai Tse, and Karol Orzechowski, with Rachel Pepper as moderator. This session will explore practical uses of AI for animals, addressing both opportunities and challenges in applying emerging technologies to questions of welfare, ethics, and law. With panels ranging from ethical foundations and regulatory issues to the role of AI in research and its broader impact on the planet, the conference is designed to provoke meaningful dialogue and foster new insights at the intersection of artificial intelligence and animal law. The conference flyer can be downloaded here.

Fig.: The conference is on AI, animals, and the law (Image: ChatGPT/4o Image)

Living Beings and Artifacts

The online event „Artificial Intelligence & Animals“ took take place on 16 September 2023. Speakers were Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel (FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland), Yip Fai Tse (University Center for Human Values, Center for Information Technology Policy, Princeton University), and Sam Tucker (CEO VegCatalyst, AI-Powered Marketing, Melbourne). Panelists were Ian McDougall (Executive Vice President and General Counsel, LexisNexis London), Jamie McLaughlin (Animal Law Commission Vice President, UIA), and Joan Schaffner (Associate Professor of Law, George Washington University). Oliver Bendel „has been thinking on animal ethics since the 1980s and on information and machine ethics since the 1990s“. „Since 2012, he has been systematically researching machine ethics, combining it with animal ethics and animal welfare. With his changing teams, he develops animal-friendly robots and AI systems.“ (Website Eventbrite) Yip Fai Tse co-wrote the article „AI ethics: the case for including animals“ with Peter Singer. Sam Tucker is an animal rights activist.

Fig.: A frog in an artificial environment