Artificial autonomous agents and the question of electronic personhood

A path between subjectivity and liability

Bibliographic Data

ID14970910
AuthorsAntonio Iannì (0000-0003-0464-4957, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, corresponding author), Michael William Monterossi (Ca' Foscari University of Venice)
Year2017
Volume26
Issue4
Pages563-592
Publication date2017-10-02
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueGriffith Law Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1038-3441 • E-ISSN: 1839-4205
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10383441.2017.1558611
OpenAlexW2905426274
LanguageEN
References cited40

Technological acceleration has led to the creation of innovative electronic autonomous agents. Considering this phenomenon from a legal point of view, the gradual introduction of such agents into daily relationships stresses both the categories of legal subjectivity and legal liability. Starting with a terminology toolbox, then this paper will investigate the impact of those agents on the legal order, especially regarding civil liability. To manage this ‘dilemma’ (liability), some have proposed giving artificial autonomous agents legal personality. By adopting an historical approach to legal subjectivity and personality, this paper tries to shed light on the reciprocal interdependency between the diverse criteria used by the law to attribute liability and the diverse legal persons to which such liability is assigned. The study of the positioning of non-human entities into this legal framework represents an key step in the process of regulating an issue which, at the beginning of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is now a contingent reality

Business · Epistemology · Law and economics · Legal liability · Legal profession · Legal realism · Liability · Personhood · Political science · Sociology · Strict liability · Subjectivity · Artificial Intelligence in Law · Blockchain Technology Applications and Security · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI · Law

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