We are witnessing how AI can generate incredibly accurate, natural sounding, and grammatically correct text. It also can create convincing images that mimick the texture, damage, and the colours of old photographic paper. But how long until it starts creating entirely realistic historical documents, complete with authentic-looking text? What will the implications be for research? It is time to prepare for this new era writes Rômulo da Silva Ehalt on our blog legalhistoryinsights.com

How did colonial powers shape labor laws in Australia and India from 1850 to 1950? Prakhar Ganguly's research project explores the intertwining legal landscapes of factories and unions in these distant colonies. He investigates the unique paths of legal transplantation, the clash of cultures, and the lasting impacts of colonial rule on labor regulation. From the gold rush to the gavels of justice, he seeks to uncover the shared histories and divergent destinies of two nations under the British Empire.

In our upcoming Max Planck Lecture in Legal History and Legal Theory Philipp Dann (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) will examine the reasons for the historically uneven attention paid to empire in different fields of law and geographical regions. He will explore different approaches to the study of colonial legacies and discuss their potential and challenges. His lecture will also reflect on the aims of studying the legacies of empire in law and propose a framework for understanding these legacies as part of a broader, interdisciplinary and transnational endeavour in our increasingly polarised and politicised times.