AI agents aren’t legally responsible for any harm that they cause, experts say. So who is?

“The law is clear, says Prof Jeannie Paterson. “If I deploy an AI agent and it causes harm to someone else, I am responsible for that harm.”

In case you were wondering if it wasn’t the bleeding obvious.

A human did this a human should be held responsible. “If you throw a ball in the air are you not responsible for where it lands”

Let’s say that ball is a hand grenade. Who gave it to you? It can’t be JUST the user if it’s that dangerous. Finally parents are being held to account if a kid uses a firearm inappropriately. The same should apply to companies who build AI, if it’s used to hack someone or make CSAM.

The difference is that a hand grenade is illegal to own. A series of matrix multiplications is not.

A better comparison is a knife. If you throw that in the air and it lands on someone you are responsible, the person who sold you a potentially dangerous but legal tool is not.

Edit illegal, not legal. silly mistake