IC Colloquium: Realizing Leibniz's Dream
By: Ruzica Piskac - Yale University
Video of her talk
Abstract
In the 17th Century, the philosopher, mathematician and lawyer Gottlieb Leibniz envisioned the creation of a characteristica universalis and calculus ratiocinator that would enable reasoning in law and morals as systematically as in geometry and analysis. His goal was to resolve legal disputes with the precision and clarity with which accountants settle financial discrepancies.
We are now, for the first time in history, positioned to realize Leibniz’s dream of automating legal reasoning. The crucial step in this process is the alignment of sophisticated computer science techniques with appropriate types of legal problems. Automating code-based legal reasoning, which relies on explicit statutes and regulations, differs fundamentally from automating case-based reasoning, which depends on precedents and interpretations. We will discuss how formal methods and Large Language Models (LLMs) can be utilized to achieve what Leibniz envisioned three centuries ago, effectively transforming the landscape of legal reasoning through the power of modern computational technology.
Bio
Ruzica Piskac is a professor of computer science at Yale University. Her research interests span the areas of programming languages, software verification, automated reasoning, and code synthesis. A common thread in Ruzica’s research is improving software reliability and trustworthiness using formal techniques. Ruzica joined Yale in 2013 as an assistant professor and prior to that, she was an independent research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems in Germany. In July 2019, she was named the Donna L. Dubinsky Associate Professor of Computer Science, one of the highest recognition that an untenured faculty member at Yale can receive. Ruzica has received various recognitions for research and teaching, including the Patrick Denantes Prize for her PhD thesis, a CACM Research Highlight paper, an NSF CAREER award, the Facebook Communications and Networking award, the Microsoft Research Award for the Software Engineering Innovation Foundation (SEIF), the Amazon Research Award, and the 2019 Ackerman Award for Teaching and Mentoring.
More information
Video of her talk
Abstract
In the 17th Century, the philosopher, mathematician and lawyer Gottlieb Leibniz envisioned the creation of a characteristica universalis and calculus ratiocinator that would enable reasoning in law and morals as systematically as in geometry and analysis. His goal was to resolve legal disputes with the precision and clarity with which accountants settle financial discrepancies.
We are now, for the first time in history, positioned to realize Leibniz’s dream of automating legal reasoning. The crucial step in this process is the alignment of sophisticated computer science techniques with appropriate types of legal problems. Automating code-based legal reasoning, which relies on explicit statutes and regulations, differs fundamentally from automating case-based reasoning, which depends on precedents and interpretations. We will discuss how formal methods and Large Language Models (LLMs) can be utilized to achieve what Leibniz envisioned three centuries ago, effectively transforming the landscape of legal reasoning through the power of modern computational technology.
Bio
Ruzica Piskac is a professor of computer science at Yale University. Her research interests span the areas of programming languages, software verification, automated reasoning, and code synthesis. A common thread in Ruzica’s research is improving software reliability and trustworthiness using formal techniques. Ruzica joined Yale in 2013 as an assistant professor and prior to that, she was an independent research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems in Germany. In July 2019, she was named the Donna L. Dubinsky Associate Professor of Computer Science, one of the highest recognition that an untenured faculty member at Yale can receive. Ruzica has received various recognitions for research and teaching, including the Patrick Denantes Prize for her PhD thesis, a CACM Research Highlight paper, an NSF CAREER award, the Facebook Communications and Networking award, the Microsoft Research Award for the Software Engineering Innovation Foundation (SEIF), the Amazon Research Award, and the 2019 Ackerman Award for Teaching and Mentoring.
More information
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Contact
- Host: Viktor Kuncak