Digital Day 2023

Welcome

Brief welcome from Simmons & Simmons

Speakers:
Dr Stephan Ulrich, Head of Corporate & Commercial, Simmons & Simmons
Christopher Götz, Partner; Head of Digital Business, Simmons & Simmons

Five years of GDPR - current topics from the perspective of data protection supervision

The Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision, which is responsible for tech companies based in Munich, among others, will discuss – as part of the fifth anniversary of GDPR – the current focus of data protection supervision in Germany and Bavaria.

Speaker: Alexander Filip,
Data Protection Authority of Bavaria for the Private Sector

Listen to the session below or have a look at our insight article.

Faster, more efficient, more digital - Siemens AG's EUR 60 million blockchain bond

The Siemens Group placed its first digital bond on a public blockchain in February. The legal basis was the Electronic Securities Act (eWpG).

Henriette Koegel, Head of the Capital Markets Legal Department at Siemens AG, will use this specific example to highlight opportunities and challenges from an issuer's perspective.

Speaker: Henriette  Koegel, Legal and Compliance Banking and Finance
Treasury - Global Markets
Head of LC BF TRE-GM, Siemens AG

Listen to the session below.

How regulation is shaping the future of markets in digital assets

Recent market turmoil and the collapse of major market participants like FTX have reinforced the calls for stricter regulation of digital assets. While the global regulatory landscape remains fragmented, legislators and regulators are geared towards establishing sensible guardrails based on the principle of 'same risk, same rules'. Driven predominantly by the demand of institutional investors, digital asset service providers are embracing jurisdictions that are open to innovative business models while adopting high regulatory standards. Given the inherently global nature of the industry, legal certainty across international markets is proving to be a decisive factor in shaping the future of digital assets.

Copper is a digital asset technology company dedicated to providing a secure, compliant, and efficient way for institutions to engage with digital assets. Copper provides a comprehensive suite of custody, settlement and collateral management solutions that reduce counterparty risk and bring greater capital and operational efficiency to digital asset markets.

Have a look at our insight article.

Speakers: Matthias Winter, Senior Counsel, EMEA, Copper

Panel: George Morris, Partner, Digital Business, London, Simmons & Simmons
Jochen Kindermann, Partner, Financial Markets, Frankfurt Simmons & Simmons

Break

ChatGPT and GPT-4: insights & outlook on what’s to come next

In this session, Johannes Otterbach will discuss ChatGPT and GPT-4 and gives an outlook on what is next to come in the field of generative AI.

Before joining Merantix Momentum, Johannes worked as a machine learning researcher at OpenAI, working on technologies paving the way to Dall-E, ChatGPT and GPT-4. He also worked as a quantum engineer at Rigetti Computing and as a software engineer at Palantir. At Merantix, Johannes focuses on applying state-of-the-art academic research to real world us cases across a variety of application domains.

Speaker: Johannes Otterbach, VP of Machine Learning Research, Merantix Momentum

Download the session slides,listen to the recording below or have a look at our insight article.

Aleph Alpha: Generative AI in the enterprise

Aleph Alpha's "Luminous" is the European counterpart to Open AI's GPT3. In contrast to other large language models, Luminous is aimed exclusively at corporate and public sector clients, amongst others those in the financial and life sciences sectors. For Aleph Alpha, comprehensibility and explainability of AI (Explainable AI) take priority. Hans-Jörg Schäuble, VP Customer, will provide us with insights into how generative AI can be used meaningfully in the company and what needs to be considered in this respect.

Speaker: Hans-Jörg Schäuble , VP Customer, Aleph Alpha

Listen to the session below.

The proposed AI Act and AI Liability Directive – get up to speed with latest developments in 20 minutes

In April 2021, the EU Commission has published its proposal for an AI Regulation (AI Act). Since then, the proposal has been discussed heavily, many amendments have been proposed by the EU Council and Parliament. In September 2022, the EU Commission has furthermore published a draft AI Liability Directive.

In this session we will give you an overview on the AI Act (taking into account the latest proposed amendments), discuss whether it covers generative AI, and highlight the impact of the AI Liability Directive.

Speakers: Christopher Götz, Partner, Head of Digital Business, Germany
and Tina Gausling, Counsel, Munich, Simmons & Simmons LLP

Download the session slides ,listen to the recording below or have a look at our insight article.

Lunch break

Data Sharing and AI – how valuable is data for companies?

Data is among companies’ greatest assets. Dr. Corina Apachite, Program Head for AI and Data at Continental AG, highlights in her session the relevance of data for companies. She will also give us a glimpse on Continental’s new AI lab and how it uses AI in practice.

Speaker: Dr. Corina Apachite, Program Head for Artificial Intelligence and Data, Continental AG

Download the session slides, listen to the recording below or have a look at our insight article.

Increase efficiency by shifting perspectives: How do attackers navigate through your systems?

We will show, in a very practice-oriented approach, how the awareness of problems in IT and the mindset as a challenge between "cyber illusion and cyber dilemma", is seen through the eyes of a hacker, in order to prevent risks by a prospective change of perspective.

Speaker: Florian Zähringer, Bereichsleiter Geschäftsmodelle STACKIT & XM Cyber, SCHWARZ IT

Dealing with a data breach – best practices

Over the past 12 months over 80% of organisations have experienced at least one cyberattack. Dealing with a following data breach is a complex and fast-moving process. Whether hackers took personal information from your corporate server or information was inadvertently exposed on your company’s website, speed, the right team and good coordination from the outset and preferably, in advance are key. In this session we will provide insights on how to tackle these issues best.

Speakers: Sascha Kuhn, Partner, Dispute Resolution, Düsseldorf
and Robert Allen, Partner, Disputes and Investigations, Bristol, Simmons & Simmons LLP

Listen to the session below.

Break

ESG & new technologies – the impact on companies

We will discuss in this session the impact of ESG in the context of new technologies. Sonali, who is leading the session, is a Partner and the Global Head of ESG at Simmons & Simmons. She has significant experience in the complex legal and policy landscape governing ESG. Having worked within industry, she has held leadership positions in several ESG-focused industry bodies and is an active contributor to ESG-policy discussions.

Speaker: Sonali Siriwardena,
Global Head of ESG, Simmons & Simmons LLP

Listen to the session below or have a look at our insight article.

Investments in new technologies (such as AI) – where do we stand after the interest rate turnaround?

The interest rate turnaround has a significant impact on investments in tech companies. The era of cheap money that prevailed during the pandemic and at the start of the Ukraine war is over. What does this mean for start-ups and investors?

Speakers: Fabian von Samson, Partner, Private Equity/Growth Capital, Munich, Simmons & Simmons LLP and Julian Riedlbauer, Partner, GP Bullbound

Download the session slides, listen to the recording below or have a look at our insight article.

Decoding the past, anticipating the future

This session will examine the lessons and patterns from our technological past, and how you can unlock opportunities as you navigate the future in an age of exponential change.

Speaker: Varvn Aryacetas, Chief Futurist, Deloitte Ventures UK

Closing remarks

Brief closing remarks followed by drinks.

Speaker: Christopher Götz, Simmons & Simmons LLP