Key issues in the use of artificial intelligence: the boundaries of individual and collective responsibility for legal consequences

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Author: Otto Luchterhandt

DOI: 10.21128/1812-7126-2026-1-78-99

Keywords: artificial intelligence; machine intelligence; human intelligence; robotics; threats to responsibility and autonomy; EU ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence; artificial intelligence and liability.

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the anniversary of Tamara Georgievna Morshchakova, with an emphasis on her vibrant personality as a versatile scholar in the field of criminal law and a constitutionalist. It briefly touches upon these two branches of law but provides a detailed examination of one key area — the issue of responsibility; it considers the main questions raised by the phenomenon of artificial intelligence and its applications. Due to its speed and ability to reliably process vast amounts of data, artificial intelligence significantly surpasses human intelligence. As a result, humans may lose control over technical processes as they become governed by artificial intelligence. This threatens the anthropological and ethical foundations of legal order, including that of Europe. Such foundations are built on human responsibility for one’s behavior: individuals must retain the right to make decisions about their own fate and not succumb to blind patterns. Against this backdrop, the article, through the lens of legal philosophical foundations, first analyzes the concept of responsibility and the underlying “image of a person”. Relying on Kant, the author sees the uniqueness of humans in their “freedom” and “autonomy”. Thus, the fundamental difference between artificial and human intelligence becomes evident. Artificial intelligence in robots does not possess consciousness. It performs only technical functions, unaware of doing so, and solves only the tasks set by humans, using materials provided by humans. Artificial intelligence is “machine intelligence”. This clarification counters the trend of blurring the fundamental differences between humans and machines and of anthropomorphizing robots. Its necessity lies in countering common misconceptions, whether exaggerated fears of threats from artificial intelligence or, conversely, overly high expectations of its applications. The article presents areas where artificial intelligence and robotics are successfully applied, as well as critically examines the ethical principles adopted in the European Union aimed at making responsibility for the use of artificial intelligence effective. In conclusion, using the example of “autonomous driving” in road traffic, the implementation of legal responsibility through various forms of liability is discussed, especially when the use of artificial intelligence results in property damage or harm to people. The author concludes that even the most complex legal issues can be resolved with legal tools.

About the author: Otto Luchterhandt – Dr. iur., Professor, Law Faculty, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.

Citation: Luchterhandt O. (2026) Osnovnye problemy ispol'zovaniya iskusstvennogo intellekta: granitsy individual'noy i kollektivnoy otvetstvennosti za pravovye posledstviya [Key issues in the use of artificial intelligence: the boundaries of individual and collective responsibility for legal consequences]. Sravnitel'noe konstitutsionnoe obozrenie, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 78–99. (In Russian).

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