The International Institute of Space Law (IISL) Working Group on the Legal Aspects of Artificial Intelligence in Space was recently featured as a core component of Stanford Law School’s Space Law & Policy Lab, “Governing Autonomous & AI-Enabled Systems in Outer Space,” a two-quarter policy lab advising The Aerospace Corporation, where Tuana Yazici, Chair of the IISL Working Group, was invited to serve as the first guest expert speaker for the inaugural course.
As part of the course curriculum, students were assigned and required to read the IISL Working Group’s report, Balancing Innovation and Responsibility: International Recommendations for AI Regulation in Space. The report served as a foundational text for the course and provided the analytical framework for the expert session.
The Stanford Policy Lab brings together an interdisciplinary cohort of JD, LLM, engineering, international policy, MBA, and political science students to examine how law and policy must evolve as space activities become increasingly autonomous. Course topics include AI-assisted satellite operations, on-orbit servicing, collision avoidance, and accountability in an increasingly congested orbital environment.
Building directly on the IISL Working Group’s report, the session examined how AI is being embedded into safety-critical space infrastructure; why existing legal and regulatory frameworks are struggling to keep pace with technological developments; and how responsibility, transparency, and accountability could be governed in an era of autonomous decision-making in orbit. The discussion also emphasized the role of international coordination, soft-law instruments, and technical standards as practical near-term governance pathways.
The IISL Working Group on the Legal Aspects of AI in Space is chaired by Tuana Yazici and comprises the following members: Anne-Sophie Martin, Steven Wood, Lisa Kucher, Roser Almenar, Laura Yvonne Zielinski, Stefan-Michael Wedenig, and Giovanni Tricco.
Readers may learn more about the impact of the IISL Working Group’s work and download the full report here.
Additional information on Stanford Law School’s Space Law & Policy Lab, “Governing Autonomous & AI-Enabled Systems in Outer Space,” is available here.
