Dr Stefano Faraoni is an Assistant Professor in Law. He joined the University of Birmingham in 2024.

He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Turin and was awarded a PhD in Law by the University of York.

He has been a practising lawyer (Avvocato Cassazionista) registered with the Turin Bar since 2006. He practised in Private and Criminal law and later specialised in International Contract Law, focusing on technology. He is a former Turin Bar Commission on Artificial Intelligence member.

In 2018, he joined the University of Turin, Italy, as an Adjunct Professor, investigating and teaching from a comparative perspective legal categories and the use of language in Common Law and Civil Law systems in areas such as Contract Law, Criminal Law, and International Law. He held courses on negotiation and communication skills.

In 2021, he joined the University of York as a Postgraduate Researcher, investigating the interaction between AI and the Law. His PhD focused on how contract law should regulate Manipulative Persuasive Technology led by Artificial Intelligence, using the English and Italian systems as case studies. His research investigates, from a Contract Law perspective, Persuasive Technology, Dark Patterns, Hypernudges and Computational Manipulation, their use and functioning, and their impact on the psychological processes of individuals, on consent and on the right to self-determine their thoughts (a possible new neuro-right to mental self-determination).

In his post-doctoral experience as a Research Associate at the University of York, in an interdisciplinary project in collaboration with the Alan Turing Institute, he investigated the legal aspects connected to the use of Digital Twins in areas such as Intellectual Property, Ownership, Cybersecurity, Data Protection, Liability in Tort Law and Contract Law, Explainability and individual's rights.

Dr Faraoni's research interests focus on the interaction between technology and existing doctrines and legislation, with an international, comparative and interdisciplinary approach, with a specific focus on:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Persuasive Technologies and Captology
• Computational Manipulation
• Hypernudge
• Dark Patterns
• Digital Twins
• Consent
• Neuro Rights and Mental Self-Determination
• Contract Law
• Liability
• IP
• Data Protection