Category: Academic
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Book Chapter on Customary International Law
I am happy to share the publication of my book chapter ‘Addressing the Chronological Paradox of CIL,’ in the Cambridge University Press volume edited by Marina Fortuna, Panos Merkouris, Andreas Follesdal, Kostia Gorobets, Pauline Westermann, and Geir Ulfstein for the TRICI-Law project at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. In this chapter, I try to disentangle the chronological…
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The ‘Narratives, Frontier Technologies, and the Law Conference’ was a Success!
On 30-31 October and 1 November 2024, Maastricht University Faculty of Law held the Narratives, Frontier Technologies & The Law (NFT-L) Conference. Our conference featured nearly thirty presentations across six panels and six keynote speeches. It provided an engaging platform for academic and cultural diversity, bringing together experts in mathematics, biomedicine, philosophy, law, and the…
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Decoding Discretion in International Environmental Law: A Study of the ITLOS Advisory Opinion on Climate Change
Later this week (on Wednesday, November 6, 2024), I will present my ongoing research at the Maastricht Foundations of Law Colloquia. This early-stage work focuses on using large language models to analyse discretion in climate change litigation. In particular, I am examining the 2024 Advisory Opinion on Climate Change from the International Tribunal for the Law…
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New Article in Springer Nature’s AI & Society Journal
My new open-access article was published in Springer Nature’s AI & Society journal, ‘Can large language models apply the law?’ In this piece, I argue that LLMs cannot apply the law. Note that this is not a matter of whether LLMs should apply the law. Rather, I examine whether they can—I conclude that they can’t.…
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Conference Organisation: NFT-L (Narratives, Frontier Technologies, and the Law)
Tina Ishak and I are organising a three-day conference at the Maastricht University Faculty of Law: the Narratives, Frontier Technologies & the Law (NFT-L) Conference. It’s happening from 30 October to 1 November 2024, both on-site at the Faculty and Online. In this conference, we’ll explore the intersection of frontier technologies—artificial Intelligence, robotics, neuro-technology, biotech,…
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Climate Change & the Law of the Sea
Tomorrow, October 15th, I will have the privilege of presenting my ongoing research on using Large Language Models to map exercises of discretion in climate change at CEDMAR/USP’s conference on the “Law of the Sea and Climate Change”. I am incredibly grateful to the organizers for the opportunity to present my work alongside outstanding scholars…
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Climate Change as a catalyst for Armed Conflicts
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to lecture to the Globalisation and Law Masters students at Maastricht University’s Faculty of Law on the “Foundations of Global Law” course. My lecture examined the emerging dynamics of armed conflicts, particularly the role of climate change and natural disasters in fuelling unrest. Using the Syrian Civil War as a concrete example,…
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Featured Researcher at CAPES
I am thrilled to share that I was selected as a featured researcher by CAPES (CAPES – Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brazilian Ministry of Research and Education), highlighting my doctoral research that delves into the concept of consistency in international law. This recognition stemmed from my time as a CAPES-funded scholar…
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JURIX – The 36th International Conference on Legal Knowledge and Information Systems
In December 2023, I presented my paper titled “Can ChatGPT Apply the Law?” at the Artificial Intelligence, Law, and Philosophy special workshop during JURIX 2023 (The 36th International Conference on Legal Knowledge and Information Systems). My paper delves into the ontological question of whether Large Language Models (LLMs) can apply the law, steering clear of…
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Invited to give a talk at the EUI (Firenze)
On December 4th 2023, I had the privilege of visiting the European University Institute, courtesy of a kind invitation from the European Journal of Legal Studies New Voices Award, where I presented my research titled ‘Two Kinds of Systemic Consistency in International Law.’ My sincere gratitude extends to and the EUI working groups for legal…
Henrique Marcos 