Are we witnessing the swan song of anthropocentric governance in Europe?

On 27-28 November 2025, an international conference with a rather provocative title The Swan Song of Anthropocentric Governance in Europe (?) was held at the Faculty of Law in Prague. Its aim was to reflect on the introduction of artificial intelligence in various European jurisdictions and to answer the question of whether artificial intelligence has the potential to replace human beings—civil servants—in the near future. 

The conference was opened by Diana U. Galetta, Full Professor at the Milan Law School, with a presentation of her newly published book Artificial Intelligence and Public Administration (Edizione Scientifice, 2025). This was followed by presentations on the legal basis for the use of AI in administrative proceedings in Spain and Germany, as well as a discussion of planned changes in the Czech Republic. Other presentations focused on how artificial intelligence is already being used today in healthcare, environmental protection, public procurement, etc. The last panel was devoted to the outlook for the future, including a presentation of the BRISE project, which should enable the issuance of building permits with the help of AI in the future. 

The swan song of anthropocentric administration in Europe took place as part of the 4EU+ mini-grant "Europe: A Laboratory of a Digital State." It was financially supported by a donation from the Prague branch of the international law firm White and Case, to whom we extend our thanks. 

Written versions of the contributions will be published in a special issue of the Milan-based magazine Ceridap (https://ceridap.eu/).