Roman-Canonical Inspirations for the Legal Regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) VEGA

Roman-Canonical Inspirations for the Legal Regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Principal Investigator: prof. doc. JUDr. Mgr. Vojtech Vladár, PhD.

Implementation: 2026 - 2029

 Artificial intelligence can be described as a phenomenon that has no parallel in the history of mankind in terms of its progress. Although from a technical point of view it is modern, from a legal and regulatory point of view several older concepts can be applied to it, some of which date back to ancient Roman law. We are referring to the regulation of subordinate persons without legal personality, but thinking, capable of creative activity, business management, but also causing damage. Although slaves could not be considered AI, from a legal point of view they were considered as a thing in Rome. The project focuses on identifying analogies between subordinate persons and AI, exploring the possibilities of applying this knowledge to recent law, including in a moral context. The main aim is to try to find effective and ethically acceptable legal regulation for the current development of AI. It also includes an attempt to create a legal framework de lege ferenda, taking into account Slovak and EU law (AI Act).