<p dir="ltr">In the dynamic realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI), this study explores the multifaceted landscape of Trustworthy AI with a dedicated focus on achieving both explainability and acceptance. The research addresses the evolving dynamics of AI, emphasizing the essential role of human involvement in shaping its trajectory.</p><p dir="ltr">A primary contribution of this work is the introduction of a novel "Trustworthy Explainability Acceptance Metric", tailored for the evaluation of AI-based systems by field experts. Grounded in a versatile distance acceptance approach, this metric provides a reliable measure of acceptance value. Practical applications of this metric are illustrated, particularly in a critical domain like medical diagnostics. Another significant contribution is the proposal of a trust-based security framework for 5G social networks. This framework enhances security and reliability by incorporating community insights and leveraging trust mechanisms, presenting a valuable advancement in social network security.</p><p dir="ltr">The study also introduces an artificial conscience-control module model, innovating with the concept of "Artificial Feeling." This model is designed to enhance AI system adaptability based on user preferences, ensuring controllability, safety, reliability, and trustworthiness in AI decision-making. This innovation contributes to fostering increased societal acceptance of AI technologies. Additionally, the research conducts a comprehensive survey of foundational requirements for establishing trustworthiness in AI. Emphasizing fairness, accountability, privacy, acceptance, and verification/validation, this survey lays the groundwork for understanding and addressing ethical considerations in AI applications. The study concludes with exploring quantum alternatives, offering fresh perspectives on algorithmic approaches in trustworthy AI systems. This exploration broadens the horizons of AI research, pushing the boundaries of traditional algorithms.</p><p dir="ltr">In summary, this work significantly contributes to the discourse on Trustworthy AI, ensuring both explainability and acceptance in the intricate interplay between humans and AI systems. Through its diverse contributions, the research offers valuable insights and practical frameworks for the responsible and ethical deployment of AI in various applications.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Federated Learning (FL), a novel subclass of Artificial Intelligence, decentralizes the learning process by enabling participants to benefit from a comprehensive model trained on a broader dataset without direct sharing of private data. This approach integrates multiple local models into a global model, mitigating the need for large individual datasets. However, the decentralized nature of FL increases its vulnerability to adversarial attacks. These include backdoor attacks, which subtly alter classification in some categories, and byzantine attacks, aimed at degrading the overall model accuracy. Detecting and defending against such attacks is challenging, as adversaries can participate in the system, masquerading as benign contributors. This thesis provides an extensive analysis of the various security attacks, highlighting the distinct elements of each and the inherent vulnerabilities of FL that facilitate these attacks. The focus is primarily on backdoor attacks, which are stealthier and more difficult to detect compared to byzantine attacks. We explore defense strategies effective in identifying malicious participants or mitigating attack impacts on the global model. The primary aim of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of existing server-level defenses and to develop innovative defense mechanisms under diverse threat models. This includes scenarios where the server collaborates with clients to thwart attacks, cases where the server remains passive but benign, and situations where no server is present, requiring clients to independently minimize and isolate attacks while enhancing main task performance. Throughout, we ensure that the interventions do not compromise the performance of both global and local models. The research predominantly utilizes 2D and 3D datasets to underscore the practical implications and effectiveness of proposed methodologies.</p>

I en tid då AI-språkmodeller används alltmer i vår vardag, blir det relevant att undersöka hur det påverkar samhället. Denna studie undersöker, utifrån teorier om etik och jämställdhet, hur AI-språkmodeller i sina texter ger uttryck för mångfald, icke-diskriminering och rättvisa. Studien fokuserar på att identifiera och analysera förekomsten av könsbias i AI-språkmodellernas svar samt hur det påverkar människors förtroende för dessa system. En fallstudie genomfördes på tre AI-språkmodeller - ChatGPT 3.5, Gemini och Llama-2 70B, där data insamlades via intervjuer med dessa modeller. Därefter gjordes intervjuer med mänskliga informanter som reflekterade över AI-språkmodellernas svar. AI-språkmodellerna visade en obalans i hur de behandlar kvinnor och män vilket kan förstärka befintliga könsstereotyper. Detta kan påverka människors förtroende för AI-språkmodeller och informanterna lyfte problematiken om vad neutralitet och rättvisa innebär. För att skapa mer ansvarsfulla och rättvisa AI-system krävs medvetna insatser för att integrera etiska och jämställdhetsperspektiv i AI-utveckling och användning. / In a time when Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly used in our daily lives, it becomes important to investigate how this affects society. This study examines how LLMs express diversity, non-discrimination, and fairness in texts, based on theories of ethics and gender equality. The study focuses on identifying and analyzing the presence of gender bias in the responses of LLMs and how this impacts people's trust in these systems. A case study was conducted on three LLMs: ChatGPT 3.5, Gemini, and Llama-2 70B, where data was collected through interviews with them. Subsequently, interviews were conducted with human informants who reflected on the LLMs’ responses. The LLMs showed imbalance towards gender, potentially reinforcing existing gender stereotypes. This can affect people's trust in LLMs, and the informants highlighted the issue of what neutrality and fairness entail. To create more responsible and fair AI systems, conscious efforts are required to integrate ethical and equality perspectives into AI development and usage.

Recently, South African company law underwent a dramatic overhaul through the introduction of the Companies Act 71 of 2008. Central to company law is the promotion of corporate governance: companies no longer are accountable to their shareholders only but to society at large. Leaders should direct company strategy and operations with a view to achieving the triple bottom-line (economic, social and environmental performance) and, thus, should manage the business in a sustainable manner. An important question in company law today: In whose interest should the company be managed? Corporate governance needs to address the entire span of responsibilities to all stakeholders of the company, such as customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers and the community at large. The Companies Act aims to balance the rights and obligations of shareholders and directors within companies and encourages the efficient and responsible management of companies. The promotion of human rights is central in the application of company law: it is extremely important given the significant role of enterprises within the social and economic life of the nation. The interests of various stakeholder groups in the context of the corporation as a “social institution” should be enhanced and protected. Because corporations are a part of society and the community they are required to be socially responsible and to be more accountable to all stakeholders in the company. Although directors act in the best interests of shareholders, collectively, they must also consider the interests of other stakeholders. Sustainable relationships with all the relevant stakeholders are important. The advancement of social justice is important to corporations in that they should take into account the Constitution, labour and company law legislation in dealing with social justice issues. Employees have become important stakeholders in companies and their needs should be taken into account in a bigger corporate governance and social responsibility framework. Consideration of the role of employees in corporations entails notice that the Constitution grants every person a fundamental right to fair labour practices. Social as well as political change became evident after South Africa's re-entry into the world in the 1990s. Change to socio-economic conditions in a developing country is also evident. These changes have a major influence on South African labour law. Like company law, labour law, to a large extent, is codified. Like company law, no precise definition of labour law exists. From the various definitions, labour law covers both the individual and collective labour law and various role-players are involved. These role-players include trade unions, employers/companies, employees, and the state. The various relationships between these parties, ultimately, are what guides a certain outcome if there is a power play between them. In 1995 the South African labour market was transformed by the introduction of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995. The LRA remains the primary piece of labour legislation that governs labour law in South Africa. The notion of industrial democracy and the transformation of the workplace are central issues in South African labour law. The constitutional change that have taken place in South Africa, by which the protection of human rights and the democratisation of the workplace are advanced contributed to these developments. Before the enactment of the LRA, employee participation and voice were much-debated topics, locally and internationally. In considering employee participation, it is essential to take due cognisance of both the labour and company law principles that are pertinent: the need for workers to have a voice in the workplace and for employers to manage their corporations. Employee participation and voice should be evident at different levels: from informationsharing to consultation to joint decision-making. Corporations should enhance systems and processes that facilitate employee participation and voice in decisions that affect employees. The primary research question under investigation is: What role should (and could) employees play in corporate decision-making in South Africa? The main inquiry of the thesis, therefore, is to explore the issue of granting a voice to employees in companies, in particular, the role of employees in the decision-making processes of companies. The thesis explores various options, including supervisory co-determination as well as social co-determination, in order to find solutions that will facilitate the achievement of employee participation and voice in companies in South Africa. / LLD, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Recently, South African company law underwent a dramatic overhaul through the introduction of the Companies Act 71 of 2008. Central to company law is the promotion of corporate governance: companies no longer are accountable to their shareholders only but to society at large. Leaders should direct company strategy and operations with a view to achieving the triple bottom-line (economic, social and environmental performance) and, thus, should manage the business in a sustainable manner. An important question in company law today: In whose interest should the company be managed? Corporate governance needs to address the entire span of responsibilities to all stakeholders of the company, such as customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers and the community at large. The Companies Act aims to balance the rights and obligations of shareholders and directors within companies and encourages the efficient and responsible management of companies. The promotion of human rights is central in the application of company law: it is extremely important given the significant role of enterprises within the social and economic life of the nation. The interests of various stakeholder groups in the context of the corporation as a “social institution” should be enhanced and protected. Because corporations are a part of society and the community they are required to be socially responsible and to be more accountable to all stakeholders in the company. Although directors act in the best interests of shareholders, collectively, they must also consider the interests of other stakeholders. Sustainable relationships with all the relevant stakeholders are important. The advancement of social justice is important to corporations in that they should take into account the Constitution, labour and company law legislation in dealing with social justice issues. Employees have become important stakeholders in companies and their needs should be taken into account in a bigger corporate governance and social responsibility framework. Consideration of the role of employees in corporations entails notice that the Constitution grants every person a fundamental right to fair labour practices. Social as well as political change became evident after South Africa's re-entry into the world in the 1990s. Change to socio-economic conditions in a developing country is also evident. These changes have a major influence on South African labour law. Like company law, labour law, to a large extent, is codified. Like company law, no precise definition of labour law exists. From the various definitions, labour law covers both the individual and collective labour law and various role-players are involved. These role-players include trade unions, employers/companies, employees, and the state. The various relationships between these parties, ultimately, are what guides a certain outcome if there is a power play between them. In 1995 the South African labour market was transformed by the introduction of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995. The LRA remains the primary piece of labour legislation that governs labour law in South Africa. The notion of industrial democracy and the transformation of the workplace are central issues in South African labour law. The constitutional change that have taken place in South Africa, by which the protection of human rights and the democratisation of the workplace are advanced contributed to these developments. Before the enactment of the LRA, employee participation and voice were much-debated topics, locally and internationally. In considering employee participation, it is essential to take due cognisance of both the labour and company law principles that are pertinent: the need for workers to have a voice in the workplace and for employers to manage their corporations. Employee participation and voice should be evident at different levels: from informationsharing to consultation to joint decision-making. Corporations should enhance systems and processes that facilitate employee participation and voice in decisions that affect employees. The primary research question under investigation is: What role should (and could) employees play in corporate decision-making in South Africa? The main inquiry of the thesis, therefore, is to explore the issue of granting a voice to employees in companies, in particular, the role of employees in the decision-making processes of companies. The thesis explores various options, including supervisory co-determination as well as social co-determination, in order to find solutions that will facilitate the achievement of employee participation and voice in companies in South Africa. / LLD, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

O presente trabalho tem por objeto o estudo do instituto da incorporação de ações. Para tanto, será analisado, (i) no primeiro capítulo, o regime legal vigente e sua natureza jurídica, apresentando-se as diferenças em relação à operação de incorporação de sociedade, fazendo inclusive um contraste com o direito norte-americano; (ii) no segundo capítulo, a proteção dos acionistas minoritários em operações de incorporação de controlada e eventual impedimento de voto do acionista controlador, analisando-se os recentes pareceres de orientação emitidos pela CVM; (iii) no terceiro capítulo, o estudo do instituto do tag along e do fechamento de capital e necessidade de realização de oferta pública em operações de incorporação de ações que impliquem transferência de controle ou cancelamento de registro de companhia aberta, à luz das últimas operações realizadas no mercado; (iv) no quarto capítulo, a discussão dos principais precedentes nos quais a CVM decidiu impor restrições ou impedir a realização de operações de incorporação de ações por entender ter havido um tratamento não equitativo entre os acionistas minoritários e controladores, com o objetivo de demonstrar a alteração do comportamento do órgão regulador no decorrer dos anos / The present work aims the study of the stock-for-stock exchange transactions (incorporação de ações). For this purpose, it will be examined (i) in the first part, the current legal regime and legal nature, contemplating differences with the statutory merger (incorporação de sociedade), including a comparison with the US law, (ii) in the second part, the protection of minority shareholders in the context of parent-subsidiary mergers and possible exclusion from voting of the controlling shareholder, taking into account the recent opinions issued by the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM), (iii) in the third part, the study of the tag along rights and the regulation for delisting companies and the need to conduct a tender offer in stock-for-stock exchange transactions involving transfer of control or delisting of a publicly-held company in light of recent transactions, and (iv) in the fourth part, the discussion of the key precedents on which CVM has decided to impose restrictions or prevent the conduct of stock-for-stock transaction under the understanding that there was inequitable treatment of minority shareholders and controlling shareholders, in order to demonstrate the change of the CVMs understanding over the years.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:20:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Henrique Araujo Costa.pdf: 2539931 bytes, checksum: 9c873ec9e2f361932a9e422dd0b34bea (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-03 / This text proposes a comparative study of English and Brazilian civil procedure. The research approaches the judge powers, specifically the case management powers. Considering the issue s delimitation, new statutes and its practice are compared through the perspective of both countries. In conclusion, these judge powers have become similar due to the blending practices seen among different law families, as well as between different countries of the same family. However despite the convergence towards strengthening these powers the problems to be solved by these countries have distinct roots. In England the cost problem is the biggest one, while in Brazil the biggest problem is the delay. Moreover, despite their early convergence, the cultural roots of each system keep them somehow apart from one another. Thus it is not possible to state which would the best system (since they are unique) and the adoption of the English model by the Brazilian legislation should be done with caution (since the problems to be solved are different) / O presente trabalho é uma proposta de estudo comparado do direito processual civil inglês e do brasileiro. A tese é centrada no tema dos poderes do juiz, notadamente nos case management powers. Dentro do recorte proposto, são comparadas as normas e a prática judicial recentemente instituídas pelo direito de cada um dos mencionados países. Conclui-se que os poderes desses juízes tornaram-se bastante semelhantes em decorrência da assimilação mútua de práticas judiciais entre diferentes famílias do direito, bem como entre países distintos de mesma família. No entanto a despeito da convergência em torno do fortalecimento dos poderes do juiz os problemas a serem solucionados pelos referidos países têm raízes distintas. A Inglaterra tem como maior problema o custo, enquanto o Brasil tem como maior problema a demora. Ademais, a raiz cultural de cada sistema os mantém de alguma forma diferentes, apesar da aproximação recente. Por isso não é possível dizer qual dos sistemas seja melhor (já que são incomparáveis) e eventual importação do modelo inglês pela legislação brasileira precisaria ser feita com ressalvas (já que os problemas a serem solucionados são distintos)

O presente trabalho tem por objeto o estudo do instituto da incorporação de ações. Para tanto, será analisado, (i) no primeiro capítulo, o regime legal vigente e sua natureza jurídica, apresentando-se as diferenças em relação à operação de incorporação de sociedade, fazendo inclusive um contraste com o direito norte-americano; (ii) no segundo capítulo, a proteção dos acionistas minoritários em operações de incorporação de controlada e eventual impedimento de voto do acionista controlador, analisando-se os recentes pareceres de orientação emitidos pela CVM; (iii) no terceiro capítulo, o estudo do instituto do tag along e do fechamento de capital e necessidade de realização de oferta pública em operações de incorporação de ações que impliquem transferência de controle ou cancelamento de registro de companhia aberta, à luz das últimas operações realizadas no mercado; (iv) no quarto capítulo, a discussão dos principais precedentes nos quais a CVM decidiu impor restrições ou impedir a realização de operações de incorporação de ações por entender ter havido um tratamento não equitativo entre os acionistas minoritários e controladores, com o objetivo de demonstrar a alteração do comportamento do órgão regulador no decorrer dos anos / The present work aims the study of the stock-for-stock exchange transactions (incorporação de ações). For this purpose, it will be examined (i) in the first part, the current legal regime and legal nature, contemplating differences with the statutory merger (incorporação de sociedade), including a comparison with the US law, (ii) in the second part, the protection of minority shareholders in the context of parent-subsidiary mergers and possible exclusion from voting of the controlling shareholder, taking into account the recent opinions issued by the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM), (iii) in the third part, the study of the tag along rights and the regulation for delisting companies and the need to conduct a tender offer in stock-for-stock exchange transactions involving transfer of control or delisting of a publicly-held company in light of recent transactions, and (iv) in the fourth part, the discussion of the key precedents on which CVM has decided to impose restrictions or prevent the conduct of stock-for-stock transaction under the understanding that there was inequitable treatment of minority shareholders and controlling shareholders, in order to demonstrate the change of the CVMs understanding over the years.

The legal historical development of fairness in the South African common law of contract is investigated in the context of the political, social and economic developments of the last four centuries. It emerges that the common law of contract is still dominated by the ideologies of individualism and economic liberalism which were imported from English law during the nineteenth century. Together with the theories of legal positivism and formalism which are closely related to parliamentary sovereignty and the classical rule of law, these ideals were transposed into the common law of contract through the classical model of contract law which emphasises freedom and sanctity of contract and promotes legal certainty. This approach resulted in the negation of the court’s equitable discretion and the limitation of good faith which sustain the social and economic inequalities that were created under colonialism and exacerbated under apartheid rule. In stark contrast, the modern human rights culture grounded in human dignity and aimed at the promotion of substantive equality led to the introduction of modern contract theory in other parts of the world. The introduction of the Constitution as grounded in human dignity and aimed at the achievement of substantive equality has resulted in a sophisticated jurisprudence on human dignity that reflects a harmonisation between its Western conception as based on Kantian dignity and ubuntu which provides an African understanding thereof. In this respect, ubuntu plays an important role in infusing the common law of contract with African values and in promoting substantive equality between contracting parties in line with modern contract theory. It is submitted that this approach to human dignity should result in the development of good faith into a substantive rule of the common law of contract which can be used to set aside an unfair contract term or the unfair enforcement thereof. / Private Law / LL. D.

Les accords multilatéraux sur l’environnement sont généralement caractérisés par leur autorité normative atténuée en raison des difficultés pour les États de garantir leur application effective et efficace. La procédure de non-conformité, expérimentée pour la première fois par le Protocole de Montréal sur les substances qui appauvrissent la couche d’ozone et étendue depuis, tente d’apporter des solutions appropriées aux particularismes de cette branche du droit international public. L’étude de son développement, de son évolution et de sa sophistication à travers sa nature, sa place et sa fonction permet ainsi de déterminer si cette technique exécutive contribue au renforcement de l’autorité des accords multilatéraux sur l’environnement. / Multilateral agreements on the environment are generally characterized by their normative authority diminished because of the difficulties for states to ensure their effective implementation and efficiency. The non-compliance procedure, for the first time experienced by the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and extended since then, attempts to provide appropriate solutions to the peculiarities of this branch of public international law.The study of its development, its evolution and sophistication through its nature, its place and function and to determine whether this technique helps to strengthen executive authority of multilateral environmental agreements.