Johann Laux

Johann Laux is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, specializing in the legal, ethical, and social dimensions of artificial intelligence and big data. He concurrently serves as a non-residential fellow at Berlin's GovTech Campus since 2024 and contributes legal expertise to the 'Human in the Loop? Autonomy and Automation in Socio-Technical Systems' project at the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG).

His educational background includes:

• Doctorate in Law (thesis: institutional design of courts), University of Hamburg
• Multiple law degrees, University of Hamburg
• Master's in Politics and Governance, London School of Economics and Political Science
• Philosophy studies, King's College London
• Visiting Scholar tenure, University of California, Berkeley

Laux's research centers on effective human oversight mechanisms for AI systems within socio-technical frameworks. He investigates governance models balancing automation with human autonomy, particularly in digital welfare states and algorithmic decision-making contexts. His work bridges legal theory, technology ethics, and policy design to address emergent challenges in AI regulation.

Key accolades include:

• British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship (current primary appointment)
• Emile Noël Fellowship at New York University
• GovTech Campus Fellowship (non-residential, Berlin)

Supported by prestigious fellowships, his research avoids traditional grant descriptions but emphasizes real-world impact through media engagement. Though not formally documented as an advisor, his lab affiliations drive collaborative scholarship. At Oxford, he operates within the AI & Society Lab while contributing to HIIG's autonomy-focused project, positioning him at the intersection of academic research and policy implementation for emerging technologies.