Post #4375552

@zimzat@mastodon.social @zackwhittaker@mastodon.social From spending far too much of my life talking to lawyers: It's important to remember that most lawyers will give you a reasonable answer to the question that you asked. Precisely the question that you asked. Really good lawyers will help you work out the question that you actually meant to ask. If you ask a lawyer what the law says about autonomous agents committing cybercrimes, they will tell you that there isn't any settled law and that it's a new area. And this is true. If you ask a lawyer what the law says about a company committing a cyberattack on another, they will tell you that there's statute law and settled case law. And this is true. If you ask a lawyer what the law says about a company using a program that has unpredictable behaviour that leads to a cyberattack on another company, they will tell you about the automatic liability from the act, possible risks of negligence, and the difficulty of proving intent in court. And this is also true. If you ask a good lawyer the first question, they will ask you for more context. They will ask you what an 'autonomous agent' actually is. Then they will ask how it differs from existing techniques. Then they will ask you about evidence of intent. Then they will ask you about evidence of negligence. And then they will give you a very interesting answer. And then they will charge you a lot.