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

Following Australia's first reported automated hacking accident, experts say AI agents are not legally responsible for harm they cause, and deployers—and possibly developers—could be held liable. Prof Jeannie Paterson stated, "If I deploy an AI agent and it causes harm to someone else, I am responsible for that harm," emphasizing that even unintended but foreseeable harm requires responsibility.

read1 min views1 publishedAug 12, 2026
AI agents aren’t legally responsible for any harm that they cause, experts say. So who is?
Image: Machinebrief (auto-discovered)

By Tory ShepherdSource:

The Guardian TechnologyFollowing Australia’s first reported automated hacking accident, experts warn deployers – and possibly developers – of AI agents could be held liable for the actions of their bots

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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.

“Even if I didn’t intend for that to happen, it was foreseeable, and I should be taking responsibility.”

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