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The opening lecture and panel discussion will be streamed live.
The following text has been machine translated from the German with no human editing.
Until recently, hardly anyone would have expected this: it is becoming increasingly realistic that artificial intelligence can provide good answers even to complicated legal questions. How fundamentally are the new technological tools transforming legal work? Will lawyers in the future be primarily occupied with critically reviewing AI products? These questions will be addressed by the plenary session of this year's EDV-Gerichtstag at the opening event, which will be opened by chair Dr Anke Morsch on Thursday, 11 September, at 9 a.m. in the Audimax of Saarland University.
In a panel discussion, experts will examine where AI is already being used today and how both the application of law and the law itself will change over the next ten years. Against this backdrop, Professor of Computer Science Katharina Zweig from the Rhineland-Palatinate Kaiserslautern University of Technology will give a short seed talk on how language models work, i.e. AI systems that can analyse and generate human language. Professor Marie Herberger (University of Bielefeld), Franz Steuer (PwC, AI & Tax Technology Lead) and Professor Katharina Zweig, moderated by Anke Morsch, will also explore the question of whether the demand for transparency and traceability in language models can be technically implemented.
The vulnerability of widely used large language models to attacks will be a central topic on the day before the congress, Wednesday, 10 September, which traditionally focuses on IT security in practice. Experts led by Professor Christoph Sorge from Saarland University will provide insights into current threats, attack techniques and protective measures. The dangers, such as remote takeover, go far beyond data protection. The experts will also shed light on data protection violations and attacks on Android apps.
In numerous working groups, participants at the EDV-Gerichtstag will discuss issues relating to digital legal standards, the use of AI in courtrooms and administrative proceedings, and new information technology solutions for the judiciary.
One of the working groups deals with electronic evidence and examines issues arising in the context of the so-called ‘E-Evidence Regulation’, which will apply from mid-August 2026: This regulation places European transnational access to electronic evidence such as chat messages, emails or company data stored by a service provider on a completely new footing.
Deepfakes are also increasingly posing a challenge for the judiciary and the legal profession. In one working group, experts are discussing how manipulated content can be detected – both through trained observation and technical means. They are also examining, among other things, the significance of deepfakes in court proceedings and the digital skills required to be able to assess evidence in court in the future.
Another topic will be which AI systems used in the justice system should be classified as high-risk AI systems and how their dangerousness can be determined. The European AI Act imposes strict requirements on such high-risk AI systems.
Experts will discuss Cybersecurity and digital identities in practice in another working group and highlight possibilities and technical background information. Without reliable digital identification, electronic legal transactions cannot function. Just as passports are presented in the analogue world to prove one's identity, identity must also be established in the digital world to guarantee that the person is who they claim to be.
The programme also addresses the question of how civil proceedings should be adapted to digital processes.
The Federal-State Commission for Information Technology in the Judiciary will provide information on current e-justice and AI projects and their implementation in the federal states in a series of presentations.
Accompanying the symposium will be a trade exhibition featuring software and hardware providers, publishers and IT experts.
The EDVGT is the central forum for digital innovation in law. Germany's largest specialist conference on digitisation, AI and law is one of the most important legal conferences in the country. For more than 34 years, the EDVGT has been a driving force behind digitisation in the judiciary and administration. It contributes to the drafting of legislation through regular statements and, as an association and specialist conference, promotes developments at the interface between law and technology.
Questions answered by:
Marie-Luise Schlicker: Telefon: +49 (0)681 302-5511; E-Mail: presse@edvgt.de
Further information:
The programme and current information about the conference can be found on the EDV-Gerichtstag website:
https://www.edvgt.de
The opening lecture and panel discussion will be streamed live on the EDVGT's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@edvgerichtstag-sz4du
Press photos for download:
The press photos may be used free of charge in connection with this press release and reporting on the EDVGT, provided the photographer is credited.
