On 29 January 2024, Prof. Dr. Konstantina Papathanasiou, LL.M., participated as a keynote speaker at the ISACA/IIA Switzerland Conference 2024 in Zurich, entitled “The Digitalisation of Business Processes and its Impact on Internal (IT) Audit”. She delivered a presentation on “The Aspect of Criminal Law, Compliance, and Ethics”.

Prof. Papathanasiou addressed the diverse and important role of ethics in relation to AI. Ethical issues in this context arise primarily with respect to the transparency of AI decision-making, as well as the role of bias and fairness in those decisions. Protecting privacy in the processing of data by AI must also be considered, along with the long-term societal impacts of AI technologies. Especially in the age of AI, it is crucial to foster critical thinking and questioning.

Furthermore, Prof. Papathanasiou presented the perspective of (cyber) criminal law and explained how digital transformation influences compliance requirements in companies, and what criminal law risks can arise from digitalisation in the business world. She also emphasised the importance of cyber resilience, which today constitutes an essential part of preventive compliance. In closing, Prof. Papathanasiou highlighted the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA; EU Regulation 2022/2554) and its significance for Swiss companies.