Artificial Intelligence and the Law: Navigating Accountability, Ethics, and Governance in the Age of Intelligent Machines

Authors

Keywords:

artificial intelligence, legal liability, algorithmic accountability, AI governance, EU AI Act, autonomous systems, due process, intellectual property, machine learning, human rights

Abstract

The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has outpaced the development of adequate legal frameworks capable of addressing the novel challenges they present. This article examines the intersection of AI and law across five critical dimensions: the conceptual limits of existing legal categories; the allocation of legal liability for AI-caused harm; the protection of fundamental rights in automated decision-making systems; the emergent questions of intellectual property and data ownership in AI-generated content; and the global landscape of AI governance and regulation. Drawing on recent legislative developments—including the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act (2024), the Council of Europe Framework Convention on AI (2024), proposed regulatory measures in the United States and India, and evolving jurisprudence across common law and civil law jurisdictions—this article argues that existing legal doctrines are structurally ill-equipped to govern autonomous systems and that a new paradigm of technology-sensitive legal reasoning is urgently required. The article contends that effective AI governance must be grounded in interdisciplinary dialogue between legal scholars, computer scientists, ethicists, economists, and policymakers, and must be coordinated internationally to prevent regulatory fragmentation and arbitrage

Author Biography

  • Japji, Punjabi University

    Research Scholar, Department of Laws, Punjabi University, Patiala, India

References

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Published

15-06-2026

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): Law and Technology: New Paradigms for the Twenty-First Century

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Japji (Author)

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