#techandlaw

Autopilot doesn’t mean accident-proof. When AI drives — and fails — who’s responsible?

📉 We’ve seen a rise in NYC accidents involving Tesla Autopilot and driver-assist technologies. Confused liability, tricky insurance, and companies quick to deny fault.

💥 If you’ve been hit by a driver using autopilot, or your own car’s “smart” tech failed, your case needs law + tech expertise.

👩‍⚖️ Kari Law Group, PLLC knows how to navigate emerging tech claims and make sure the right party is held accountable — human or corporate.

Recently we have seen emerging regulations in the field of Technology. Most notable in Europe is arguably the General Data Protection Regulation, hereinafter referred to as the GDPR. The GDPR covers data protection and although some have criticised it e.g. on how complex and immense it is, it still is a trailblazing piece of European regulation where the rights of the individual seem to have been prioritized. Also interesting in this context is the EU Copyright Directive 2019/790, focusing on the digital single market. The directive covers both Copyright and Data Privacy. The EU Directive on Electronic Commerce 2000/31/EC is also one to keep in mind. It ensures the free movement of information society services between member states. It includes rules like liability exemptions for Information Society Service Providers.

I briefly mention this legislation to demonstrate some of the first examples of technology specific regulations. Although consumers may not be award of the law that belies the technology we use, there is regulation out there that affects technology and our rights in that regard. But do we need more regulations regarding technology?

One argument could be that technology specific regulations are completely unnecessary. That other fields of law are fully equipped to answer the questions that come with new technology. In my opinion this might be the right approach sometimes, but definitely not in all cases. We don´t necessarily need to have a set of laws and rules regarding every specific field of technology.  I believe rather that the necessity needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. For example, do we need a specific set of rules for autonomous cars, or should we rather restructure laws and rules that are already out there, e.g. regarding insurance or ownership.

I think there will definitely be cases where the current rules aren´t the best fit to answer questions regarding new technology. For example, when it comes to the ethical duties in the field of A.I. or rules regarding taxation if human employees are replaced by robots en masse. Maybe we will even need rethink the legal system in its entirety to be more flexible to adapt to difference in circumstances.