Research

How should the law govern artificial intelligence through the institutions it delegates oversight to?

Michael Sierra is a lawyer and a PhD student in law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is a James J. Shasha Fellow, a President’s Scholar, a fellow at the Federmann Cyber Security Center, and a fellow at the Cheshin Center for Advanced Legal Studies.

His research focuses on the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) under the supervision of Prof. Yuval Shany and Prof. David Levi-Faur. His doctoral work examines regulatory intermediaries and regulatory sandboxes as tools for AI governance, drawing on insights from regulation theory and human rights law.

He holds an LL.B. and an LL.M. (magna cum laude), as well as a B.A. (magna cum laude) in International Relations, all from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has previously served as a research and teaching assistant at the Hebrew University and also worked at the Israel Democracy Institute and the Supreme Court of Israel.

Doctoral research

Supervisors: Prof. Yuval Shany · Prof. David Levi-Faur

Two tools for AI governance, read through regulation theory and human rights law.

Tool

Regulatory intermediaries

Third parties such as the AI Act’s notified bodies, which audit and certify AI systems on the regulator’s behalf.

Tool

Regulatory sandboxes

Supervised environments in which AI is tested under regulator oversight, with lessons drawn from fintech.

Regulation theoryHuman rights law

Regulatory sandboxes

Experimental regulation for AI, lessons from fintech, and the risk of reproducing “privacy theater”.

Algorithmic auditing and bias

Conformity assessment as regulatory strategy, and how intermediaries can amplify bias in AI systems.

AI and vulnerability

Digital gaps, safeguarding, and epistemic exclusion of vulnerable groups in public administration.

Courts, IP and legal theory

How the ECtHR frames AI, and who should hold patents for AI-generated inventions.

Publications

Articles, chapters and reports
  1. Forthc.Regulatory Sandboxes for AI: Institutional Design, Government Capacity, and Comparative Lessonsin Handbook on Government Use of Artificial Intelligence (Edward Elgar Publishing)
  2. Forthc.Technology and Fundamental Rights: Navigating EU Values in the Digital AgeEU-Values Textbook
  3. 2026Understanding and Addressing AI Vulnerability and Digital Gaps in Israelin Understanding and Addressing Digital Inequalities 410 (Danielle Borges, Roberta Carlini, Leonardo Mazzoni & Natalia Menéndez González eds., European University Institute)
  4. 2026Algorithmic Auditing and the Role of Notified Bodies under the AI ActDigiCon
  5. 2026with Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler, Safeguarding in the Age of Artificial IntelligenceIsrael Democracy Institute (in Hebrew)
  6. 2025with Amir Cahane, Nascent Regulatory Sandbox Frameworks for AI in IsraelCambridge Forum on AI: Law and Governance 1–15
  7. 2025The Principle of Equality in the Rulings of the Israeli Supreme CourtDossier for 75 Years of the Italian Constitution, Treccani
  8. 2023The Constitutional Reform Proposal that Causes Israel to Debate, Well-ExplainedKolot Review 1
  9. 2021Criticism of the Practice of Comparative Law in the Analysis of the Doctrine of Non-Constitutional Constitutional AmendmentThe Israeli Law and Liberty Forum · 3rd place, articles competition
Journalism

Legal commentary under his own byline in Yediot Yerushalayim and in Pagine Ebraiche, the review of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI).

Talks and conference papers

2026
21 talks
  • The Accountability Gap in AI Governance: State Due Diligence in the Supervision of Regulatory Intermediaries for AI Agents under International LawAI Agents: CS, Law & Economics, Tel Aviv University · October Upcoming
  • Governance by and of Intermediaries in the European Regime of Artificial Intelligence (2018–2026): The Politics of Accountability under the “Notified Bodies” ModelInaugural Digital Ethics Center Symposium, Yale University · October Best Paper Award
  • Delegated Trust, Supervisory Failure and the Accountability Gap in AI GovernanceAnnual Research Workshop of the Academic Forum for IP, IT and Innovation, Netanya Academic College · October
  • Governance by and of Intermediaries in the European Regime of Artificial Intelligence (2018–2026)ECPR General Conference, Jagiellonian University, Kraków · September
  • Governance by and of Intermediaries in the European Regime of Artificial Intelligence (2018–2026): The Politics of Accountability under the “Notified Bodies” ModelISA Conference, University of Oxford · August
  • Algorithmic Inequality as Epistemic Exclusion: Artificial Intelligence, Legal Reasoning, and Vulnerability in Public AdministrationHow Does Artificial Intelligence Challenge Our Traditional Understanding of Legal Reasoning?, University of St. Gallen · August
  • Governance by and of Intermediaries in the European Regime of Artificial Intelligence (2018–2026): The Politics of Accountability under the “Notified Bodies” ModelInternational Workshop on Public Policy, Carleton University · July
  • Regulatory Intermediaries and the Amplification of Bias in AI SystemsAnnual Conference of the European Political Science Association (EPSA), Prague · July
  • Regulatory Sandboxes: Lessons from Fintech?Annual Conference of the European Political Science Association (EPSA), Prague · July
  • Auditing AI Risks: Notified Bodies, Algorithmic Bias, and the Limits of Delegated Risk Governance under the EU AI Act2nd International Conference on the Large-Scale Risks of AI, KU Leuven · June
  • Regulatory Sandboxes for AI? Fintech as a Case Studyand Governance by and of Intermediaries in the European Regime of AI · UACES 56th Annual Conference
  • Regulatory Intermediaries and the Amplification of Bias in AI SystemsTAIS 2026, University of Oxford
  • Regulatory Sandboxes for AI and the Reproduction of Privacy TheaterPrivacy Law Scholars Conference (PLSC), Indiana University Maurer School of Law
  • How the ECtHR Frames AI? A Distant Reading AnalysisJURISIN
  • Regulatory Intermediaries and the Amplification of Bias in AI Systemswith AI-Generated Inventions and How the ECtHR Frames AI? · BILETA
  • Regulatory Sandboxes for AI? Fintech as a Case StudyPrivacy Symposium, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
  • Delegated Trust in Algorithmic Enforcement: Regulatory Intermediaries, Digital Fairness, and Consumer Redress in the EUDEUCE Final Conference, Faculty of Law and Criminology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
  • AI-Generated Inventions: Who Should Be Granted the Patent and Why Is Legal Theory Essential?Eighth IP Innovation Researchers of Asia (IPIRA) Conference, Singapore University of Social Sciences
2025
9 talks
  • How the ECtHR Frames AI? A Distant Reading AnalysisAI for Access to Justice, Dispute Resolution, and Data Access workshop, JURIX 2025, Turin
  • Experimental Regulation of Artificial IntelligenceJURIX 2025 Doctoral Consortium (38th International Conference on Legal Knowledge and Information Systems), Turin
  • Experimental Regulation for Artificial IntelligenceILPC Annual Conference, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London
  • Regulatory Intermediaries and the Amplification of Bias in AI SystemsIsraeli IP and Innovation Forum, Reichman University
  • Understanding and Addressing Digital Vulnerabilities in IsraelUnderstanding and Addressing Digital Vulnerabilities conference, European University Institute
  • Regulatory Sandboxes for AI?ICONS Israel Annual Conference
  • Regulatory Sandboxes for AI? Fintech as a Case StudyICAIL · BILETA · Shasha Center for Strategic Studies, Hebrew University
2023
2 talks
  • AI and the Law: An Israeli PerspectiveAISSI, Association of Italian Scholars and Scientists in Israel, Jerusalem
  • Israel Constitutional Reform, an ExplanationItalian Pro-Israel Association, Brera Center, Milan

Teaching

Teaching assistant at the Hebrew University: lesson plans, tutorials and lectures, office hours, and drafting and grading assignments and exams.

2026–

Public International Law

Faculty of Law · Prof. Yuval Shany and Prof. Yael Ronen
2023–24

Civil Law

Faculty of Law · Prof. Jacob Stern
2022–24

Intellectual Property

Faculty of Law · Prof. Michal Shur-Ofry
2020–22

Public International Law

Faculty of Law · Prof. Moshe Hirsch; Prof. Tomer Broude and Prof. Guy Harpaz
2020–22

Roman Law

Faculty of Law · Dr. Rachele Hassan
2019–20

Research Methods

Faculty of Social Sciences · Dr. Roni Porat

Curriculum Vitae

Education
2024–

PhD, Faculty of Law

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem · Supervisors: Prof. Yuval Shany and Prof. David Levi-Faur
  • Research Fellow: Cheshin Center for Advanced Legal Studies; James J. Shasha Center for Strategic Studies; Federmann Cyber Security Research Center
  • Scholarships: President’s Scholarship; Cheshin Center; Federmann Center; Barak Multidisciplinary Center; James J. Shasha Scholarship
  • Award: Digital Ethics Center Best Paper Award, inaugural Digital Ethics Center Symposium, Yale University (October 2026), for Governance by and of Intermediaries in the European Regime of Artificial Intelligence (2018–2026): The Politics of Accountability under the “Notified Bodies” Model
  • Board member, I-lex – Journal of Law, Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence
2018–23

LL.B.; LL.M. (magna cum laude); B.A. International Relations (magna cum laude)

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem · LL.M. thesis supervised by Prof. Yuval Shany and Prof. Renana Keydar
  • Seminars: Intellectual Property and Networks (highest grade in class); Freedom of Speech and Online Platforms
  • Board member, Israel Law Review and Hukim Law Review
  • President, Law and Technology Club
  • Human Rights Legal Clinic: drafted an alternative report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
Professional and research experience
2024–26

Research Assistant to Prof. Tal Zarsky and Dr. Nadav Berman

University of Haifa and Columbia University · co-authoring an article
2025

Researcher, AI and vulnerable societies

Israel Democracy Institute · with Dr. Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler
2023–25

Legal Assistant to the Vice President of the Court

Jerusalem District Court
  • Drafted judgments across a range of matters, mainly class actions; attended hearings and worked closely with the judges
2022–23

Legal Intern (Articled Clerk)

Agmon with Tulchinsky Law Firm
  • Drafted appeals in civil and administrative cases and constitutional petitions
  • Major commercial class actions for Israeli banks and international clients
  • Represented venture capital funds, start-ups, high-tech firms and companies listing on the NYSE
2020–24

Research Assistant, The Hebrew University

  • Dr. Renana Keydar: content moderation regulation (2022–24)
  • Prof. Robbie Sabel: public international law (2022)
  • Prof. Nahum Rakover: Jewish community regulations on permitted matters (2020–22), incl. Community Regulations Against Luxury (2022)
  • Prof. Shahar Lifshitz and Dr. Ram Rivlin: marital property at the time of death (2020–21)
  • Dr. Shaul Cohen: article on the Criminal Law Act (2020–21)
  • Prof. Yaniv Vaki: chapter on reasonable doubt (David Law ed., Cambridge Univ. Press 2020)
2020–22

Israeli Courts Research Division

Israeli Supreme Court
  • Empirical analysis of the Supreme Court hearings broadcast project
Community
2015–

Italian Jewish Community in Israel

Founder of the youth movement, head of the Youth Board, current Board member
2015–22

Bet Midrash Barkai

Volunteer educational facilitator
2019–20

Minyanim International Fellowship, Jewish Agency

Leadership certificate
2011–18

Earlier activities

Birthright Israel logistics (2018); Limmud Italia organizer (2015); Israel National Scouts group leader and international delegations committee (2011–14)
Additional
Bar admission
Israel Bar, February 2024
Languages
Hebrew, Italian, English
Based in
Jerusalem