Social Media, AI and the Law: Law Society free course Law Society free course More about Irish Tech News
Irish Tech News Audio ArticlesShow Notes
Registration is now open for the Law Society's latest free online course exploring the fast-evolving world of social media, artificial intelligence (AI) and the law, with over 2,200 participants already signed up.
Open to anyone with an interest in tech and legal innovation – and its real-world impact – the new on-demand course starts on Tuesday 9 June 2026.
This year's course will provide participants with an insight into the rapidly developing impact and intersection of Social Media, AI and the Law, offering an overview of recent advancements, delving into issues surrounding liability, regulation, privacy and data protection, social media bans, cybercrime, and ecommerce. It will also explore the considerable impact on our work environment and daily lives including digital manipulation and surveillance.
President of the Law Society, Rosemarie Loftus, said:
"The Law Society is proud to deliver this year's course on Social Media, AI and the Law. As AI continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, understanding its impact and how this intersects with social media use, society, business, and the legal world is no longer optional.
"Delivered by expert speakers with engaging content, this course will help participants become more informed about liability, risk, regulation, and the implications of using AI in our modern online world.
"Whether you are already working in the legal sector, retired or in education, this course is open to anyone, anywhere. All participants will learn how to navigate social media and AI both ethically and responsibly, which will be of benefit to you and wider society."
Expert speakers, lawyers, public figures and academics will review the current state of play, demystify concerns, discuss the potential impact in the coming years, and much more. The course will be addressed by guest speakers, including:
Niamh Hodnett, Online Safety Commissioner, Coimisiún na Meán
Aisling Kelly, Head of Cybercrime Division at the Council of Europe
Prof. Terry Flew, Professor of Digital Communication & Culture, The University of Sydney; Co-Director of the Centre for AI, Trust and Governance
Owen Bennett, International digital policy expert; former Head of Online Safety Ofcom
Nicola Byrne, Founder, RiskEye; Executive Chair, SaferSocial
Paul Delahunty, Chief Information Security Officer, Stryve
Dr. Lollie Mancey, Anthropologist, Futurist and Innovation Advocate
Philip Andrews, SC, Andrews Law
Carlo Salizzo, Partner, Dentons
Kieran Kelly, Partner, Flynn O'Driscoll
Shane English BL
Clare Daly, Legal Advisor, Tusla
Hazel McDwyer, Partner, Mason Hayes and Curran
Maureen Daly, Partner and Head of Intellectual property, data protection and AI department, Reddy Charlton LLP
Simon McGarr, Solicitor, McGarr Solicitors
Public legal education
Each year, the Law Society brings free legal education to members of the public through its Massive Open Online Course. Since 2014, the annual five-week courses have attracted over 41,200 participants from 119 countries with a record-breaking 7,064 participants signed up last year.
This year's Social Media, AI and the Law course features online recorded and streamed presentations, together with interactive discussion forums and quizzes that allow participants to engage directly with expert presenters. The course is on-demand making it easy for participants to catch up at any stage with new course content released every Tuesday.
For more information and to register, visit: https://mooc2026.lawsociety.ie/
The Law Society of Ireland has representative, regulatory and educational functions in respect of the solicitors' profession. It delivers high-quality legal education and training, encourages and supports the highest professional standards, and places significant emphasis on civic engagement, supporting local community initiatives and driving diversity and inclusion within the profession.
Law Society website: www.lawsociety.ie
See more breaking stories here.
Irish Tech N
More from Irish Tech News Audio Articles
Rethink Ireland has launched the new €1.5 million Skills for Tomorrow Fund in collaboration with Deloitte Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht.
Unit4, a leader in enterprise cloud applications for people-centric organisations, has launched international research commissioned from Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC) examining the transformation challenges facing professional services firms. With 60% saying their work volumes will escalate and/or become more complex in the next 12 months, there is an urgent need to modernise business processes. However, firms face significant challenges to retrieve time lost to fixing operational inefficiencies and errors, which are leading to project delivery delays and teams having to work overtime.
There has been a recent surge in AI-generated online adverts promoting bogus state-backed investment schemes, according to FraudSMART, the fraud awareness initiative led by Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI), as consumers are warned to be on alert. The ads feature fake images or videos of high-profile politicians and businesspeople encouraging consumers to click a link to register for the scheme. This is the latest trend in an ongoing wave of investment fraud in recent years, particularly targeting people in their 50s who may be looking for investment opportunities ahead of retirement. New figures from An Garda Síochána show an increase of over 20% in reports of investment fraud in 2025 compared to 2024, with more than €20 million in losses. This upwards trend is continuing into 2026.
Increased R&D Tax Credit shows clear impact as companies prioritise research and innovation amid global uncertainty – IRDG & KPMG Report.