Oreste Pollicino is Full Professor of Constitutional Law and Law of Artificial Intelligence Regulation at Bocconi University, where he also directs the LLM in Law of Technology & Automated Systems and co-directs the Research Unit Law and Economic Studies (RULES).
He currently represents Italy at the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (Vienna) and serves as President of DICOPO – Centre for Digital Constitutionalism and Policy (Brussels).

Academic Activity and Publications

Professor Pollicino is the author of the first monograph dedicated to the topic of digital constitutionalism (2021). He is also one of the most frequently cited constitutional scholars in Europe for his work on the intersection of law and new technologies, the protection of fundamental rights, digital governance, and data protection.
He has written ten monographs, authored over 200 articles, and edited approximately 30 collective volumes on European constitutional law, digital constitutionalism, the relationship between European courts and constitutional courts, the regulation of artificial intelligence, and personal data protection.

Professional Experience and Institutional Roles

Among his most notable roles:

• Shortlisted for Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union (2024)
• Appointed Honest Broker in the drafting of the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation (2022)
• Shortlisted for appointment as Commissioner of the Italian Data Protection Authority (2020)

A qualified Supreme Court lawyer (avvocato cassazionista), he has over twenty years of experience in media law, digital technologies, data protection, and constitutional and European litigation.
He is widely recognized as one of the leading legal experts in the regulation of artificial intelligence, AI compliance and governance, privacy protection, data enhancement, digital content protection, and online freedom of expression.
He also provides fundamental rights impact assessments for public and private entities in connection with current AI and environmental sustainability legislation.
He is an expert in litigation before the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights, as well as in constitutional proceedings.

Institutional Collaborations and Advisory Roles

At both national and international levels, he has collaborated with:

• The European Commission
• The World Economic Forum
• The OECD

He is currently an independent academic member of the permanent assembly of the European Commission drafting the Code of Conduct for General Purpose AI, working alongside developers, users, civil society representatives, academia, and EU regulators.

He also serves as:

• Independent board member of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights
• Board member of Digital Library (Ministry of Culture – Italy)
• Member of the “Data Governance” Working Group of the OECD’s Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)

He is a scientific board member of:

• Fondazione Leonardo – Civiltà delle Macchine
• Fondazione Einaudi
• Special Advisor to the Fondazione Occorsio

Previous Roles and Additional Appointments

• Expert appointed by AGCOM (March–November 2021) for the inquiry on services provided by online platforms
• Member of the Expert Group on the National AI Strategy (Ministry of Economic Development, 2019)
• Member of the Ministry of Justice expert commission for the adaptation of Italian law to the GDPR
• Independent expert appointed by AGCOM for drafting the White Paper on TV 2.0

International and Academic Engagement

He has been a visiting professor or visiting scholar at several leading international institutions, including:

• University of Fribourg (Switzerland)
• Nuffield College – University of Oxford (Jemolo Fellow)
• New York University (Fulbright and Emile Noël Fellow)
• University of Haifa (Israel)
• Sciences Po (Paris)

He regularly participates as a keynote speaker at high-level public and closed-door events hosted by leading national and international think tanks on the regulation of artificial intelligence, innovation, and the protection of fundamental rights.

Editorial Leadership and Research Activities

• Director of three academic book series (Giuffrè, Giappichelli, Aracne) focused on the relationship between law and new technologies, especially the regulation and governance of artificial intelligence
• Editor-in-chief of www.medialaws.eu, one of Europe’s leading platforms on law, rights, and digital innovation, founded in 2010
• Co-editor-in-chief of two top-tier (Class A) academic journals:
  – Rivista di diritto dei media
  – Rivista di diritti comparati
• Member of the scientific or editorial boards of numerous national and international journals, including:
  – American Journal of Comparative Law
  – European Law Journal

Grants and Awards

• The only legal scholar in Italy to have received funding on first submission from the Italian Ministry of University and Research for the Italian Science Fund on the topic of Digital Constitutionalism (2023–2027)
• Principal Investigator on multiple funded academic projects, including PRIN 2023 (Italy) and Horizon 2020 (EU)

Education

• National academic qualification (2014) to serve as Full Professor in Constitutional Law, Comparative Public Law, and European Union Law – the only candidate in Italy to be qualified in all three legal disciplines
• Post-doctoral fellow (2005–2007) in Welfare in Europe: a Comparative Perspective – Bocconi University
• PhD in Constitutional Law (2002–2005) – University of Milan
• LLM in European Law (2001–2002) – College of Europe, Bruges
• Law degree (1994–1999) – University of Messina, summa cum laude (110/110 with honors)