Legal scholar and attorney Dr. Davide Tuzzolino was appointed as Seton Hall’s 2026 Fulbright Scholar last month, and is slated to teach IDIS 2222: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Law this semester. Tuzzolino, currently a practicing lawyer in Rome, brings extensive experience and research in AI and data protection.
Tuzzolino’s“specialization in artificial intelligence and private law is especially timely as AI is rapidly reshaping industries while legal and ethical frameworks struggle to keep pace,” Dr. Mary Kate Naatus, assistant provost and dean of continuing education, said.
Naatus added that his combination of practical experience as a lawyer and research as a European scholar allows students to engage with both theory and real-world legal practice.
Tuzzolino shared his professional insights on many facets of AI, including its legal implications.
“AI has already transformed the legal landscape,” he said. “It is pushing us to rethink long-established legal categories and principles that were once considered settled.
“[The] real challenge is bringing AI into the legal system in a coherent and evolving way, rather than treating it as something entirely separate,” Tuzzolino added.“This requires coordinated efforts across multiple areas, with ethics playing a central role in guiding how these systems are designed, used, and regulated.”
He also noted the contrast between American and European approaches to AI.
“Europe emphasizes risk prevention, using a more structured regulatory model,” Tuzzolino said. “The U.S. approach is more flexible and market-driven.
He also elaborated on what students can expect in his course this semester and its significance.
“This experience [is] as an opportunity to be influenced by a new academic and cultural environment. Engaging with different viewpoints and legal traditions will allow…teaching and research to grow, evolve, and become more nuanced,” he said.
This semester, Tuzzolino is teaching a 12-session seminar.where students “will learn to understand AI systems at a conceptual level, recognize when their use raises legal and ethical concerns, and reason through those challenges using legal and policy tools.”.
“This course fosters critical thinking by helping students understand the key legal, social, and ethical issues surrounding AI that are being debated globally—not just the rules, but their broader impact,” Tuzzolino said.
Throughout the course, Tuzzolino said students can expect to “combine real cases with well-crafted hypothetical scenarios,” to sharpen legal reasoning and critical thinking skills. He said case law, especially in areas like copyright and personal data protection, will be central to the course.
The course is not limited to students interested in law, Naatus said.
“[The] focus on AI and law naturally bridges multiple academic disciplines because artificial intelligence affects business operations, public policy, communication, and technical development simultaneously,” Naatus said.
Tuzzolino is SHU’s third consecutive Fulbright Scholar from the U.S. Italy Fulbright Partnership, following Dr. Mario Milazzo in 2025 and Dr. Giovanni Schiuma in 2024, Naatus said.
In addition to marking another milestone for the partnership, Naatus highlighted the broader impact Tuzzolino’s experience and connections will have across multiple programs.
“[Tuzzolino’s] Italian academic and professional background and network can…strengthen Seton Hall’s long-standing relationship with Italy and Rome through Italian Studies and the Alberto Institute, the Rome Connection, Catholic Studies and other Study Abroad programs in Italy and related academic and cultural initiatives,” Naatus said.
Joseph Tippets is a writer for The Setonian’s News section. He can be reached at joseph.tippets@student.shu.edu.
