Silicon Flatirons

Professor J. Brad Bernthal '01 Named Executive Director of the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship

Anonymous — Wed, 24 May 2023 17:31:30 +0000

Professor J. Brad Bernthal '01 Named Executive Director of the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/24/2023 - 11:31

The University of Colorado Law School and the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship are pleased to announce that Professor Brad Bernthal (Colorado Law, JD ’01) has been named the new Executive Director of Silicon Flatirons.

Professor Harry Surden served as Interim Executive Director through the end of the spring semester. Professor Bernthal begins work as Executive Director effective June 1.

"I am thrilled to be taking on this new role at the Silicon Flatirons Center," said Professor Bernthal. “Silicon Flatirons helps shape technology and innovation to benefit people. This project is as important to the community today as it has ever been.”

Professor Bernthal is a widely known and respected figure in the fields of entrepreneurial law, early-stage finance, and innovation policy. He has been an associate professor of law at the University of Colorado Law School since 2007. Professor Bernthal is the founder and director of the Silicon Flatirons Center's Entrepreneurship Initiative, which has been instrumental in supporting and fostering entrepreneurship in the region and connecting CU campus with the surrounding high tech entrepreneurial community. Professor Bernthal was part of the small cadre that launched CU’s New Venture Challenge, which just finished its 16^th year.

As the new Executive Director, Professor Bernthal is responsible for leading the strategic direction and operations of the Silicon Flatirons Center, which works to propel the future of law, policy, and entrepreneurship in the digital age. Through the center’s initiatives, events, publications, and student programs, he will continue to build on the Center's work to catalyze critical conversations among diverse stakeholders and develop professionals ready to lead.

"It’s an honor to work with the extraordinary scholars and entrepreneurs in our community," reflected Professor Bernthal. “We aspire to elevate the debate around technology and policy at a time when wisdom and foresight are imperative. The stakes are high, and our team is ready to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.”

"We are very excited to have Brad take on this new role," said Lolita Buckner Inniss, dean of the University of Colorado Law School. "His experience, deep ties to Colorado Law, and expertise make him an excellent choice to lead the Center as we continue to explore the important legal and societal implications of developing technologies."

the Silicon Flatirons Center:

The Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship is a leading interdisciplinary research center based at the University of Colorado Law School. The Center's mission is to explore the intersection of technology, law, and entrepreneurship and to engage in meaningful dialogue and research with stakeholders from industry, government, and academia. The Center is committed to fostering entrepreneurship in the region and to helping develop and promote a culture of innovation.

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Harry Surden to Serve as Interim Executive Director of Silicon Flatirons

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 22:08:40 +0000

Harry Surden to Serve as Interim Executive Director of Silicon Flatirons Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/06/2023 - 16:08

The University of Colorado Law School is pleased to announce the appointment of Harry Surden as interim executive director of the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship. Surden, a beloved professor of law at Colorado Law, brings extensive experience in the tech industry and legal academy to this role.

Silicon Flatirons is a leading research center at the University of Colorado Law School that focuses on the intersection of technology and policy. As interim executive director, Professor Surden will oversee the center's operations, including events and research initiatives.

"I'm thrilled to serve Silicon Flatirons as interim executive director," said Professor Surden. "The center has a well-earned national reputation for fostering innovation and exploring the impact of technology on society, and I'm excited to play a new part in building on that legacy."

Professor Surden has been a faculty member at the University of Colorado Law School since 2008, where he teaches courses on intellectual property, patent law, torts, and artificial intelligence. He is also affiliated faculty at the Stanford Center for Legal Informatics (CodeX). Prior to law school, Professor Surden worked as a software engineer for Cisco Systems and Bloomberg Finance L.P.

"We are thrilled Harry has agreed to serve as interim executive director of Silicon Flatirons," said Lolita Buckner Inniss, dean of the University of Colorado Law School. "His cutting-edge scholarship, passion for teaching, and commitment to the center make him the ideal person to lead Silicon Flatirons during this transitional period."

Silicon Flatirons will continue in its mission of fostering innovation and exploring the impact of technology on society under Surden's leadership. The center's upcoming event, "Exploring Generative AI and Law," will take place on April 21, 2023 and will explore the role of Generative AI in several legal contexts.

The first is the ability of Large Language Model AI Systems (LLMs) like ChatGPT to produce legal documents, such as contracts, legal pleadings, patents and other written legal instruments. Another is the impact of AI-generated art and music in the context of Copyright law and Fair Use. Finally, they will examine the societal implications of AI systems that can produce high quality outputs – such as legal documents or art – that previously only people could create. The conference will bring together leading experts in the fields of law and AI to discuss the legal and policy implications of generative AI.

For more information about Silicon Flatirons and the upcoming "Exploring Generative AI and Law" conference, please visit https://siliconflatirons.org/events/exploring-generative-ai-and-law/.

In the summer of 2023, Professor Brad Bernthal will assume the role of executive director of the center. We are excited to share more about his appointment in the coming weeks!

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Professor Harry Surden Delivers 2022 Austin W. Scott Jr. Lecture

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 23:34:15 +0000

Professor Harry Surden Delivers 2022 Austin W. Scott Jr. Lecture Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 11/17/2022 - 16:34

Harry Surden, Professor of Law and director of the Silicon Flatirons Center Artificial Intelligence Initiative, delivered the 47th annual Austin W. Scott, Jr. Lecture at the University of Colorado Law School on November 10. The lecture was titled “Artificial Intelligence and Law”. The Scott lecture is presented annually by a member of the faculty engaged in a significant scholarly project who is selected by the dean.

Watch the recording here.

In this lecture, presented in a hybrid format, Professor Surden—himself a former software engineer and leader of the emerging interdisciplinary field of AI and Law—explored: What is Artificial Intelligence? How is law affecting Artificial Intelligence? What are the major issues involving AI, law, and society today and in the near future?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is much in the news these days. Professor Surden explained that as a concept, AI could seem completely unrelated to the field of law, however AI and Law are intricately intertwined and are becoming more so each day. Law regulates artificial intelligence, but artificial intelligence also affects the practice of law.

Professor Surden devoted a good portion of the lecture to explaining in broad strokes how AI actually works, what it is and what it is not. His remarks emphasized that in order to understand the intersection of AI and the law, we must seek to understand the technology in its own right. Surden explored the limits of AI as it exists today and how it differs from the way popular culture often portrays it.

Ultimately, AI is neither inherently good or bad for law, explained Professor Surden. It holds potential for a fairer legal system or, if used improperly, one that is less fair and more prone to bias.

Professor Harry Surden

Harry Surden is a Professor of Law at the University of Colorado Law School. He joined the faculty in 2008. His scholarship centers upon artificial intelligence and law, legal informatics and legal automation (including machine learning and law), self-driving cars and law, intellectual property law with a substantive focus on patents and copyright, information privacy law, and the application of computer technology within the legal system.

Prior to joining CU, Professor Surden was a resident fellow at the Stanford Center for Legal Informatics (CodeX) at Stanford Law School. In that capacity, Professor Surden conducted interdisciplinary research with collaborators from the Stanford School of Engineering exploring the application of computer technology towards improving the legal system. He was also a member of the Stanford Intellectual Property Litigation Clearinghouse and the director of the Computer Science and Law Initiative.

Professor Surden was law clerk to the Honorable Martin J. Jenkins of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. He received his law degree from Stanford Law School with honors and was the recipient of the Stanford Law Intellectual Property Writing Award.

Prior to law school, Professor Surden worked as a software engineer for Cisco Systems and Bloomberg Finance L.P. He received his undergraduate degree with honors from Cornell University.

Professor Surden is an Affiliated Faculty Member at The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics (CodeX).

the Annual Austin W. Scott, Jr. Lecture Series

The Austin W. Scott Jr. lecture is named after Austin Scott, a member of the law school faculty for 20 years. He was a beloved teacher as well as a prolific writer, whose scholarly work was in the fields of criminal law and procedure. In 1973, former Colorado Law Dean Don W. Sears established the lecture series in his memory. Each year, the dean of the law school selects a member of the faculty engaged in a significant scholarly project to lecture on his or her research. Learn more about the Austin W. Scott Jr. Lecture.

See recordings of recent lectures on the Colorado Law YouTube channel.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQdKg0i7qNY]

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Startup Summer 2022

Anonymous — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 22:17:39 +0000

Startup Summer 2022 Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/06/2022 - 16:17

Originally published on the Silicon Flatirons site on September 2, 2022.

This summer, Silicon Flatirons brought together students from across the nation to participate in the 11^th iteration of Startup Summer. The program was offered in a hybrid format to accommodate students attending both in-person and virtually. The center engaged people from across the emerging company community and brought in more than 25 guest speakers to work with their students. Over the course of the summer, seven companies were formed within the Startup Summer cohort, and student teams were guided through the startup ideation and creation process. In August, they wrapped up the program by competing for a total of $10,000 in prize money. 

Startup Summer 2022 delivered a high-value experience across the board. Representative feedback from student participants included:

“[Startup Summer] really encouraged that spark of entrepreneurship within me, the wanting to be a part of starting something bigger than me. I’m very thankful and really love this whole community.”
“I knew virtually nothing about business coming into the program. Through these 10 weeks, I have accumulated so much helpful knowledge. I am able to hold my own in business discussions now. I’m more familiar with business vocabulary and feel comfortable adding suggestions to business plans and revenue model brainstorms. I’ve realized how powerful a network is and where my strengths lie.”

This year, 28 students participated, with students from the following schools: ��«��Ƶ, St. Andrews University, Washington University (St. Louis), Front Range Community College, University of Washington, Oxford Brookes University, Colorado College, and the University of Utah.

“The pandemic invited us to continue to expand the way we thought about the program. We opted to host the program in a hybrid model, which allowed students who were out-of-state or had other obligations to join us for our summer meetings, resulting in amazing attendance from our participants. One student even mentioned that this was one of the best hybrid models they had ever experienced!” Noah Levin and Beatriz Salazar—2022 Startup Summer, Co-Managing Directors

A very special thank you to our weekly speakers and mentors, supporters, community members, and of course, our generous sponsors: Anchor Point Foundation, The Caruso Foundation, Libby Cook, and Dale & Pat Hatfield for making this year’s program possible.

1st place/2nd place tie

Goodie Bag (Ethan Mills, Kevin Gonzalez, Greg Cusak, Luke Siegert, Eddy Connors)
Jot. (Sonia Amin, Tia Noyes, Magill Stewart, Ben Hofstra)

3rd place:

Tick-Click (Kyle Komarnitsky, Leo Nguyen, Kash Challapalli, Garrett Weber)

4th – 7th place:

ArtDato (Matthew McDaniel, Collin Dunn, Sam Ellsworth, Grady Forsythe)
��«��Ƶ Kidz (Xinran Li, Kaden Sisk, Charles Msilanga)
Norlin (Marcus Orlando, Michael Cossio, Alex Liston, Bianca Meurer-Zeman, Joey Nolan)
Tamatar (Graham Blanco, Clara Black, Ben Furr-Johnson, Gabby Mejia)

This summer, Silicon Flatirons brought together students from across the nation to participate in the 11th iteration of Startup Summer.

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