Lorenzo Cotino, Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Valencia.

Lorenzo Cotino, Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Valencia (UV), has published a legal guide to know the regulations relating to research with data and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The paper examines key issues affecting data protection and privacy in the market for new technologies such as sending data abroad, anonymisation in scientific and biomedical research, or the use of data in different projects. of the original, among other issues.

The book, Guía para el cumplimiento normativo en la investigación y experimentación con Inteligencia Artificial y tecnologías conexas en Espacios de Innovación con Datos, centrada en privacidad y data governance (‘Guide to Regulatory Compliance in Research and Experimentation with Artificial Intelligence and Related Technologies in Data Innovation Spaces, focusing on privacy and data governance’), is part of Lorenzo Cotino’s collaboration with Institute of Computer Technology (ITI). This is dedicated to research, development and innovation in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and belongs to the Network of Technological Institutes of the Valencian Community (REDIT) and the Spanish Federation of Technology Centres (FEDIT).

The guide provides a framework for data management in research and experimentation. In order to provide an ethical and legal guideline for their treatment, it focuses on the regulations relating to privacy and data protection. “There are many doubts and legal barriers to research with data, big data and artificial intelligence. Projects of great scientific, economic or social significance can fail if there is no adequate regulatory compliance”, explains Cotino.

The expert points out that it is a capital sector, taking into account the recovery and digital transition plans, so it is important that in Spain there is a guide that answers these questions with some practicality. Therefore, the book is structured in questions and answers that are usually asked by universities, institutions and research teams. “The guide also explains how in the field of research for public purposes we try to make the legal requirements more flexible. It is hoped that this work can be useful, especially in the scientific and university community”, said the researcher from the University of Valencia.

Thus, the guide, free and open access, deals with other basic topics such as terminology, the regulatory framework of data protection, how to apply the principles of processing to research or the importance of distinguishing the types of data that exist. It also delves into the possible purposes for which the data may be used and the possibility of using them for projects other than the original or for new research teams, the requirements for sending data abroad. and, among other things, the essential importance of anonymising the data for research use. It also analyses the rights and claims of those affected, when they should be served and how far they can go.

This work is part of the R & D & I project of the ITI DIH in Artificial Intelligence (VAIH), funded with 42,903 euros by the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI). Its aim is to consolidate the ecosystem (DIH) of actors in the Valencian Community to encourage innovation based on data and artificial intelligence, closing the gap between research and industry.

Guide: Cotino, L. (2021). Guía para el cumplimiento normativo en la investigación y experimentación con Inteligencia Artificial y tecnologías conexas en Espacios de Innovación con Datos, centrada en privacidad y data governance. Valencia, Spain: ITI. ISBN: ISBN: 978-84-09-31738-7.

You can access the index of the guide here.