Freedom to Think: European and American Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence and Sensitive Data

Freedom to Think, Artificial Intelligence, and Sensitive Data

Thursday, November 5 & Friday, November 6, 2026

Kline Institute of Trial Advocacy

1200 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19104

Thursday, November 5: 1 Ethics CLE credit, 1.5 Substantive Credits

Friday, November 6: 5.5 Substantive credits

This two-day symposium serves as a critical crossroads for academics, legal practitioners, regulators, and technologists to explore the eroding boundaries between human cognition and algorithmic intervention. As technology and artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into the fabric of daily life, the "freedom to think" faces unprecedented challenges from neurotechnological advancements and the pervasive collection of sensitive consumer health data. By convening experts from disparate fields, we aim to dissect the impact of technology across different aspects of society and evaluate whether current legal and regulatory frameworks are robust enough to protect the sanctity of the human mind against predictive modeling and cognitive profiling.

The sessions will pivot between high-level theoretical inquiries and grounded regulatory debates, focusing on the immediate need for sophisticated technological governance. Participants will explore the nuanced intersection of health data ethics and real-world technological deployment across multiple regions, including the EU and the US, examining how "sensitive data" has evolved beyond traditional medical records to include biometrics and neural signals. Through this multi-disciplinary lens, the conference seeks to bridge the gap between innovation and protection, fostering a dialogue that moves beyond mere compliance toward a future where technological progress reinforces, rather than undermines, individual autonomy and cognitive liberty.

Tentative Agenda

Thursday, Nov 5

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm - Keynote Presentation (remote)
Arthur Caplan, Professor Emeritus, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

3:00 pm – 3:15 pm - Break

3:15 pm  - 5:00 pm - Panel 1: Defending the Real     

Asta Zelenkauskaite, Professor, Department of Communication, Drexel University
Matt Stamm, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Drexel University   

Carla Maria Gulotta, Associate Professor, University of Milan-Bicocca    

Eamon Gallagher, Practice Professor of Law, Director of the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic, Director of the Center for Law and Transformational Technology, Director of the Business & Entrepreneurship Concentration, Thomas R. Kline School of Law

Friday, November 6

8:00am - 8:50 am - Breakfast

8:50 am                   Welcome

9:00 am - 10:30 am - Panel 2: AI, Behavioral Manipulation and Freedom of Thought: New Challenges for EU Data Governance
Nadia Olivero, University of Milan-Bicocca - From freedom to think to freedom to choose: behavioral evidence on AI, defaults, and sensitive data.   

Marta Maria Sosa Navarro,University of Milan-Bicocca -

Brain economy and European Union data strategy: the delicate balance between simplification of data exchange through regulatory intervention and normative protection of the freedom to think.  

Carla Maria Gulotta, University of Milan-Bicocca - Protecting political thought from manipulative techniques in the European Union.

10:30 am - 11:00 am - Break

11:00 am - 12:30 pm - Panel 3: Regulatory and Legal Controls around Data Use   

Jordan Fischer, Drexel Kline School of Law - The privacy regulatory gap: how privacy laws leave room for data exploitation.  
Elena di Carpegna Brivio, University of Milan-Bicocca - Between body and data. The European regulation on substances of human origin and its crossroads with the GDPR.
Jennifer Sheridan, University of San Francisco School of Law - Decoding Human thought: Beyond America’s privacy patchwork to a US federal standard for protecting consumers’ neural data and their mental privacy.

Dr. Anat Lior, Drexel Kline School of Law - AI and liability

12:30 pm – 2:00 pm - Lunch / Keynote Presentation

Monique Priestly, State Representative, Vermont, Orange 2 District

2:00 pm – 2:30 pm - Break

2:30 pm – 4:00 pm - Panel 4: Protection of Sensitive Data     

Robert Field, Drexel-Kline School of Law - Special treatment of medical records

Sandrine Turgis, University of Rennes School of Law - The World Health Organization and the protection of sensitive data in the context of artificial intelligence challenges
Brunessen Bertrand, University of Rennes School of Law - European digital sovereignty and the regulation of sensitive health data

4:00 pm - 4:15 pm           Closing Remarks