What Do You Do with a Liable AI?

Between Donald Trump’s rebranding of AIs to be called “superintelligence” to the Bank of England’s Andrew Bailey claiming that AI regulation is “not the right place to start”, the status of AIs in the law is a matter that is consistently being kicked down the road. Fortunately, a status does exist that can govern AIs; as agentic entities, their actions could be recognised through the framework of legal personhood. The use of personhood statuses to encompass animals, foetuses, idols, rivers, rainforests, and volcanoes does indicate that the status can be granted to Ais. However, granting AI personhoods risks shifting the legal focus away from humans and onto external entities, which makes the bestowal of personhoods a complicated matter that generates enormous scholarly debate. This presentation will acknowledge these concerns, while advocating for personhood to be the way forward, albeit with a new theoretical model for bestowals to limit the legal effects of the “person” status. The talk will then suggest how AI personhood can be applied to the delict of negligence as a study from which other fields can proceed. CONTENT WARNINGS: AIs used in warfare, brief references to AI apocalypticism.
About the speaker:
Dr Andrew Rayner (he/they) is an academic currently based in the University of Glasgow’s Law School, whose work focuses on private law, European human rights, and legal theory. Having recently completed their PhD, their recent research focuses on AIs and the ways in which the law recognises the actions and potential liabilities of non-human autonomous agents. In their spare time, Andrew is a science-fiction reader and amateur novelist, a Dungeons and Dragons player, and a punk/rock music enthusiast.
Attendance:
This event is free. No ticket is required. We operate on a first come first served basis. It's relatively rare that we fill up the function room, but please be aware that if things are looking busy, the earlier you get there the less chance there is of not getting in. Doors open at 19:00, event begins at 19:30.
Although the event is free, we will be asking for donations at the end of the talk. Participants are under no obligation whatsoever to donate, however please rest assured that the money we collect doesn't end up in anyone's pocket - it is used to fund our overhead costs, and travel/accommodation for our speakers who come from further afield.
Accessibility:
The Admiral Woods Bar now has a functioning lift which can take wheelchair users (or others who are unable to manage stairs) down to the function room. There is also a disabled toilet in the function room area.