Tenure: September 2025 to May 2026
Abdi Aidid, BA, JD, LLM, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and a Canada Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Access to Justice. In 2024–2025, he served as a Visiting Associate Professor at Yale Law School. He is also a Faculty Affiliate at the Centre for Ethics and a member of the Ethics of AI Lab at the University of Toronto. His research and teaching focus on civil procedure, torts, privacy law, and the intersection of law and technology. He holds a BA from the University of Toronto, a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, and a Master of Laws from the University of Toronto.
In 2023, he co-authored The Legal Singularity: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Law Radically Better with Benjamin Alarie, exploring the transformative potential of AI in the legal field. Before entering academia, he practised litigation and arbitration at Covington & Burling LLP in New York City and served as Vice President of Legal Research at Blue J, where he led the development of machine learning enabled legal research tools.
Abdi is a leading voice in the evolving relationship between law and emerging technologies. Some of his work examines how artificial intelligence, automation, and predictive analytics are reshaping legal practice and access to justice. He has written and spoken extensively on AI-driven legal decision-making, highlighting both its potential and its ethical challenges. Through his research and collaborations, Abdi works to bridge the gap between traditional legal frameworks and cutting-edge technological advancements, advocating for innovation that is both effective and equitable.
In September 2025, Abdi joined the Canada School of Public Service as a visiting scholar through the Ian D. Shugart Visiting Scholar Initiative. He will support the School's efforts to explore the ethical dimensions of emerging technologies, drawing on his expertise in technology, AI, law and ethics. As part of his role, he will also collaborate with departments across the federal public service on topics related to ethical technology use and privacy.
Related links
