The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

AI Law, Policy, and Governance

ONLINE CERTIFICATE COURSE

Understand and adapt to the policy and regulatory developments taking place in leading states including the US, China, UK, and the EU.

6 weeks, excluding 1 week orientation.

6–8 hours of self-paced learning per week, entirely online.

Next start date: 25 Jun 2025

Email: lseonline@getsmarter.com

Call: +44 2038 568 850

ABOUT THIS COURSE

The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) is already clear. It is changing the workplace, disrupting creative industries, and is gradually being embedded in our daily routine. But the development and deployment of AI brings opportunities, challenges, and threats. Governments are positioning themselves to “win” the AI race.

The London School of Economics and Political Science AI Law, Policy, and Governance online certificate course examines the key policy drivers and the regulatory structures that have been put in place to encourage investment in safe and secure AI as well as examines the frameworks in place to ensure users and developers are protected. This course is framed through a policy and a legal lens and is taught by experts in AI policy and regulation. No prior legal or regulatory background is required: the course is designed to be accessible to anyone interested in the regulation of AI.

This AI Law, Policy, and Governance online certificate course is certified by the United Kingdom CPD Certification Service, and may be applicable to individuals who are members of, or are associated with, UK-based professional bodies. The course has an estimated 42 hours of learning.

Note: should you wish to claim CPD activity, the onus is on you. The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and GetSmarter accept no responsibility, and cannot be held responsible, for the claiming or validation of hours or points.

“AI technologies promise to enhance efficiency, improve decision accuracy, and offer more personalised services to citizens. Yet, as with any powerful technology, AI brings with it significant risks. Issues of bias, transparency, privacy, and accountability loom large. How can we ensure that AI serves the public good, rather than entrenching inequalities or perpetuating errors at scale?”

— LSE Public Policy Review

Benoit, K (2024) AI and Data Science for Public Policy. LSE Public Policy Review. Retrieved February, 2025.

WHAT THIS COURSE COVERS

Over six weeks, you’ll gain an understanding of AI policy and regulatory developments in leading states, knowledge of key policy drivers and regulatory structures, and an insight into frameworks for user and developer protection.

Guided by industry experts, you’ll explore:

The distinction between AI and non-AI systems
What makes AI a disruptive technology
The core principles, methods, and frameworks underpinning AI regulation and governance
The design requirements for high-risk AI systems
The five principles guiding AI regulation in the UK
The risks and challenges of generative AI from a regulatory perspective

A POWERFUL COLLABORATION

The London School of Economics and Political Science is collaborating with online education provider GetSmarter to create a new class of learning experience – one that is high-touch, intimate, and personalised for the working professional.

ABOUT LSE

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a leading dedicated social science university. LSE was founded in 1895 with the aim of understanding the causes of things for the “betterment of society”. LSE seeks to make research and teaching practical and relevant to the real world. The School counts 18 Nobel Prize winners and 37 world leaders amongst its alumni and staff. LSE has students from over 160 countries, and over 100 languages are spoken on campus.

ABOUT LSE ONLINE CERTIFICATES

LSE is dedicated to addressing global issues through research and education, and is the most international of all British universities. By offering online certificate courses designed by expert LSE faculty members, the School aims to make its state-of-the-art social sciences research and insights available to a wider global audience. The supported, interactive online learning model allows participants to study from anywhere in the world, at times of their convenience, while still interacting with peers and teaching staff alike.

ABOUT GETSMARTER

GetSmarter partners with the world’s leading universities and institutions to select, design and deliver premium online short courses with a data-driven focus on learning gain.

Technology meets academic rigour in GetSmarter’s people-mediated model, which enables lifelong learners across the globe to obtain industry-relevant skills that are certified by the world’s most reputable academic institutions.

As a participant, you will also gain unlimited access to edX’s Career Engagement Network at no extra cost. This platform will provide you with valuable career resources and events to support your professional journey. You can look forward to benefits including rich content, career templates, webinars, workshops, career fairs, networking events, panel discussions, and exclusive recruitment opportunities to connect you with potential employers.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

You’ll be welcomed to the course and begin connecting with fellow participants, while exploring the navigation and tools of your Online Campus. Be alerted to key milestones in the learning path, and review how your results will be calculated and distributed.

You’ll be required to complete your participant profile, confirm your email address for the delivery of your digital certificate, and submit a digital copy of your passport/identity document.

Please note that module titles and their contents are subject to change during course development.

Gain an appreciation of what AI is and isn't capable of and the difficulties of AI policymaking amidst global uncertainty and power imbalances.

Explain the distinction between AI and non-AI systems
Describe the roles of AI across both global and sector-specific levels
Identify the range of challenges pertaining to AI policymaking
Discuss the divergent policy community perspectives on AI policymaking
Determine the influence and differing approaches of market-leading jurisdictions on AI policymaking

Explore analogous national strategies for policy development and the influence of various institutions on these approaches.

Identify what makes AI a disruptive technology
Outline the most relevant differences between democratic and authoritarian approaches to policymaking
Explain the contributions of specific countries to the AI policy landscape
Determine how specific countries’ regulatory approaches impact policy effectiveness
Analyse the influence of industry and non-state players on AI regulation

Examine the AI Act’s position within different models of AI regulation and governance.

Discuss the core principles, methods, and frameworks underpinning AI regulation and governance
Outline the main distinctions between rules-based and principles-based approaches to regulation
Articulate the development and key milestones of the AI Act
Investigate the risk-based regulatory model that forms the basis of the AI Act
Categorise key provisions of the AI Act and various AI applications within different risk categories

Gain an understanding of the design, deployment, and governance requirements for high-risk AI systems as mandated by the AI Act.

Outline the design requirements for high-risk AI systems
Apply the key obligations for providers and deployers of AI systems
Articulate the meaning of transparency in the context of the AI Act
Analyse transparency as an overarching principle and requirement under the AI Act
Assess the mechanisms of governance and enforcement mandated by the AI Act

Discover different approaches to AI regulation, focusing on risk-based alternatives and jurisdiction-specific frameworks.

Articulate alternative regulatory models to the risk-based approach of AI regulation
Compare horizontal and vertical regulation as utilised by selected jurisdictions
Interpret the five principles guiding AI regulation in the UK
Analyse the sectoral approach to AI regulation in the UK
Investigate the relevant US frameworks for AI regulation
Assess the state-based regulatory approach to AI in the US

Gain an understanding of the regulatory challenges, approaches, and principles for governing and developing generative AI.

Outline the risks and challenges of generative AI from a regulatory perspective
Articulate the meaning of foundation and frontier models
Analyse the regulation of foundation models in the EU AI Act and the Chinese AI measures
Investigate alternative methods for regulating foundation and frontier models
Evaluate the guiding principles for organisations developing advanced AI systems

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE

As AI deployment expands across all areas of business, the policy and regulatory challenges it presents are top of mind for organisations. If you work in compliance, technology, or policy – or are an in-house legal advisor or part of a tech company or startup with regulatory questions – this course is for you.

THIS COURSE IS FOR YOU IF YOU WANT TO:

UPGRADE YOUR SKILLS

Strengthen your portfolio by understanding AI risks, responsible innovation, and compliance requirements.

CHANGE YOUR CAREER

Expand your career opportunities as governments and various industries work to manage AI risks and opportunities.

GROW YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Enhance your decision-making whether you’re a business leader, tech professional, or policymaker.

ABOUT THE CERTIFICATE

Get recognised for your knowledge when you earn a certificate of competence from the London School of Economics and Political Science – a world-leading social science university – and use it to validate your new-found AI, law, and policy skills.

Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments completed online. To be issued with a digital certificate, you’ll need to meet the requirements outlined in the course handbook. The handbook will be made available to you as soon as you begin the course.

Your digital certificate will be issued in your legal name and sent to you upon successful completion of the course, as per the stipulated requirements.

WHO YOU’LL LEARN FROM

These subject-matter experts from LSE guide the course design and appear in a number of course videos, along with a variety of industry professionals.

YOUR COURSE CONVENORS

Andrew Murray

Professor of Law
LSE Law School

Andrew Murray is professor of law with particular reference to New Media and Technology Law, director of the LSE Law, Society and Technology Group, and a fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA). Andrew studied law at Edinburgh University, from where he graduated (LLB Hons) in 1994. He then spent some time as a research assistant in the Department of Private Law, University of Edinburgh before taking up a lectureship in law at the University of Stirling in 1996. He joined the LSE in September 2000.

As well as holding memberships of: The Society of Computers and Law (SCL), The Higher Education Academy (HEA), and The David Hume Institute, Andrew was from 2001 to 2004 an executive member of the British and Irish Law, Education and Technology Association (BILETA) and was from 2002 to 2008 a recognised 'Independent Expert' of the Nominet UK Dispute Resolution Procedure, and from 2007 to 2012 a fellow of the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn.

He is a visiting professor at the Amsterdam Law and Technology Institute and was a visiting professor in the École de Droit, Sciences Po, Paris in Spring 2015 and at the Paris School of International Affairs in Spring 2017. In 2018–19 he was the specialist advisor to the House of Lords Communications Committee inquiry “Regulating in a Digital World”. He gave the 2020 TMC Asser Lecture on the subject of “Law and Human Agency in the Time of Artificial Intelligence”. More recently he has advised the Government of Saudi Arabia on the new Saudi E-commerce Law, was a judge/reviewer for the 2024 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, and has acted as a reviewer for the German Federal Government’s “Clusters of Excellence” programme.

Alexander Evans

Associate Dean (Strategic Development), MPA in Data Science for Public Policy Programme Director
School of Public Policy

Alexander Evans is associate dean for strategic development at the LSE School of Public Policy. A professor in practice in public policy, he directs the LSE's Professional Skills Accelerator and the MPA in Data Science for Public Policy. He teaches graduate courses on international diplomacy and technology, data science, and policymaking. He is also director of the LSE IDEAS Ratiu Forum.

He joined the British Diplomatic Service in 2003. He has served in 10 Downing Street as an adviser to the Prime Minister, as strategy director and exco member in the Cabinet Office, and director cyber in the Foreign Office. He was a member of the policy planning staff. His overseas roles include serving as deputy and acting high commissioner to India and (briefly) Pakistan, leading the United Nations Security Council expert group on Daesh, Al Qaida, and the Taliban, and being a senior advisor to the late Ambassador Richard Holbrooke in the US Department of State during the first Obama Administration.

Alexander is a former Henry Kissinger chair at the Library of Congress, senior fellow at Yale, and Gwilym Gibbon fellow at Nuffield College Oxford. He has a PhD in politics from SOAS. He has also worked in think-tanks in New York, Washington, DC, and London (the Asia Society, Stimson Centre, Chatham House, Policy Exchange, the Adam Smith Institute, and the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation). He has worked as a regulator and journalist.

In 2024 he was a visiting professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He is a current research fellow at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and a senior research fellow at the British Centre for Army Leadership.

He was awarded an OBE in 2010 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2023.

Ayse Gizem Yasar

Assistant Professor (Education)
LSE Law School

Ayse Gizem joined the LSE Law School in 2023. Her scholarship focuses on AI regulation, innovation and entrepreneurship. At LSE Law School she teaches competition law and information technology law.

She was formerly a research fellow at Sciences Po in Paris and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Glasgow’s CREATe Centre. She supervised the DIGILAW Program at the Sciences Po Law School Clinic and has designed and taught courses on competition law, law and innovation, sociology of technology, and research methods since 2018.

Ayse Gizem has a PhD from Sciences Po Paris, a Magister Juris degree from the University of Oxford, an LL.M. degree from Université Paris II-Panthéon-Assas, and an LLB degree from Bilkent University.

She practised competition law between 2013-2016 and is a member of the Istanbul Bar Association.

GUEST EXPERTS

Doaa Abu Elyounes

Program Specialist Ethics of AI, UNESCO

Miri Zilka

Senior Research Associate, King’s College, Cambridge

Laura Jugel

Technology Specialist, European AI Office

Carlos Mougan

Technology Specialist, European AI Office

Alexander Macgillivray

Former Principal Deputy United States Chief Technology Officer and Deputy Assistant to the President

Niklas Lundblad

Senior Policy Director

Dr Zhiyu Li

Associate Professor in Law and Policy

HOW YOU’LL LEARN

Every course is broken down into manageable, weekly modules designed to accelerate your learning process through diverse activities:

Work through your downloadable and online instructional material
Interact with your peers and learning facilitators through weekly class-wide forums and reviewed small group discussions
Enjoy a wide range of interactive content, including video lectures, infographics, live polls, and more
Investigate rich, real-world case studies
Apply what you learn each week to quizzes and ongoing project submissions, culminating in a holistic understanding of AI policy and regulation as it stands today

YOUR SUCCESS TEAM

GetSmarter, with whom LSE is collaborating to deliver this online course, provides a personalised approach to online education that ensures you’re supported throughout your learning journey.

HEAD TUTOR

A subject expert who’ll guide you through content-related challenges.

SUCCESS ADVISOR

Your one-on-one support is available during University hours (8am–5pm GMT) to resolve technical and administrative challenges.

GLOBAL SUCCESS TEAM

Available 24/7 to solve your tech-related and administrative queries and concerns.

COURSE CALLOUTS

6 weeks online | No legal background required | Videos and podcasts

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

In order to complete this course, you’ll need a PDF Reader. You may also need to view Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, as well as read and create documents in Microsoft Word or Excel.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Some courses may require certain software and resources, which will be communicated to you upon registration and/or at the start of the course. Please note that Google, Vimeo, and YouTube may be used in our course delivery.