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A comment on U.S. tells Google computers can qualify as drivers. Parent comment

Re:U.S. tells Google computers can qualify as drivers by TheOtherHobbes on Wednesday February 10, 2016 @09:32AM (#11072934)
It's entertaining that apparently one of our signifiers of independent personhood is "Can drive a car."

This issue is only confusing to the extent this isn't considered.

>an algorithm is just another car part

Exactly. And the designer is on the hook for negligence in the usual way - but not for malicious, tragic, and/or unforseeable circumstances that may lead to death or injury.

Finding the boundary between those will keep a lot of lawyers very busy. But I don't think we need to start assigning personhood and agency to a steering system just yet.

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Re:U.S. tells Google computers can qualify as drivers by jtolmar on Wednesday February 10, 2016 @04:57PM (#11076401)
With the comment that sparked off this thread, I wasn't implying the car had any sense of agency. Rather, that legal personhood might be a good way to sort out the laws.

A corporation is a legal person, which makes it a lot easier to enter a contract with one, but that doesn't imply it has rights. You can own a corporation without it being slavery.

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