SRI Seminar Series: Onur Bakiner [HYBRID EVENT]

The SRI Seminar Series welcomes Onur Bakiner, a professor of political science and director of the Technology Ethics Initiative at Seattle University. Bakiner’s research examines technology governance, human rights, judicial politics, and the broader relationship between technology and society.

As governments, companies, and researchers pursue different approaches to AI governance, fundamental questions remain about which interventions are effective, who should shape them, and whose interests they serve. Drawing from his recently published book, (Cambridge University Press, 2026), Bakiner will offer a wide-ranging assessment of the current governance landscape and invite participants to consider what a more democratic and socially responsive approach to governing technological change might require.

This session will be presented both in person at the University of Toronto’s Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus and online.

Venue for in-person attendees:

, University of Toronto, Room W240 (second floor)

Entrance: 108 College St, Toronto, ON M5G 0C6

“Governing AI: The state of play”

In this talk, Prof. Bakiner presents his latest book, (Cambridge University Press, 2026). Building upon AI scholarship in science and technology studies, technology law, business ethics, and computer science, this talk documents potential risks and actual harms associated with AI, lists proposed solutions to AI-related problems around the world, and assesses their impact. It presents a vast range of theoretical debates and empirical evidence to document how and how well technical solutions, business self-regulation, and legal regulation work. It is a call to think inside and outside the box. Technical solutions, business self-regulation, and especially legal regulation can mitigate and even eliminate some of the potential risks and actual harms arising from the development and use of AI. However, the long-term health of the relationship between technology and society depends on whether ordinary people are empowered to participate in making informed decisions to govern the future of technology—AI included.

Moderator: Anna Su, Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law, University of Toronto

, University of Toronto, Room W240 (second floor)
108 College Street, Toronto, ON M5G 0C6
Seminar will be broadcast live via Zoom (register for link).

Bakiner, Onur. . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2026.

Onur Bakiner is a professor of political science and director of the Technology Ethics Initiative at Seattle University. His research and teaching interests include technology & society, technology governance, human rights, and judicial politics. His book (Cambridge University Press, 2026) reflects his ongoing work on governance models to mitigate AI risks and harms. His first book, (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015) was awarded the Best Book Award by the Human Rights Section of the American Political Science Association in 2017. His articles have been published in Big Data & Society, Law, Innovation and Technology, AI & Ethics, The Journal of Comparative Politics, Annual Review of Law & Social Science, Negotiation Journal, Civil Wars, Journal of Law and Courts, International Journal of Transitional Justice, Memory Studies, and Turkish Studies. He has delivered public lectures in universities, nonprofits, international organizations, and business associations in the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Canada, Turkey and Germany on the societal implications of technology, judicial politics, and human rights.

The SRI Seminar Series brings together the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society’s research community and wider audiences for a robust exchange of ideas that advances scholarship at the intersection of technology and society. Seminars feature leading and emerging scholars and provide substantial opportunities for discussion.

Each seminar includes a presentation and an open discussion, with the format varying according to the speaker and topic. Registered attendees will receive a Zoom link before the event. Select seminars may be recorded and made available online.

Event venue & nearby stays

U of T: Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, 108 College Street, Toronto, Canada

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