Technologies, Law & Society

About Technologies, Law & Society Research Group

The research interests of the Technologies, Law & Society Research Group are broad, reflecting the diversity of its members, but bound by a common purpose to generate impactful and globally-leading research into critical issues at the intersection of law and technology.

Co-Director

Professor Deirdre Ahern is co-Director of the Technologies, Law & Society Research Group and a Professor of Law in the School of Law, Trinity College Dublin. Deirdre’s research and teaching span ethics, policy and regulatory frameworks for technologies including Artificial Intelligence, fintech and Quantum Technologies. She has a particular interest in regulatory sandboxes, ethics labs and policy labs for innovators and regulators. Deirdre is advising Government as a member of Ireland’s national AI Advisory Council and a member of the National Science Advice Forum.

Professor Brian Barry is co-Director of the Technologies, Law & Society Research Group and an Associate Professor in the School of Law, Trinity College Dublin. His teaching and supervision broadly spans the area of AI regulation and technologies for law. His current research centres around technologies for judging, particularly AI tools and systems for judicial decision-making. Brian was awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant (value €2 million) in 2025 for JUDGEASSIST, a project to investigate the appropriate and principled development of AI for assisting judicial decision-making.