CRA214 | Regulation of Autonomous Vehicles : Tortious Liability and Personhood

Once a distant dream, artificial intelligence is now a reality, deeply rooted in our lives. Machines equipped with artificial intelligence are now becoming commonplace. Autonomous vehicles are becoming an integral part of our daily existence. However, it is inevitable that autonomous vehicles will cause damage or injury (in some or the other form) to humans. This course provides a detailed perspective on dealing with liability issues arising from such incidents. During the tenure of the course, we will explore how the Law of Tort and the current judicial system interface with each other and address these challenges.

This course would cover various laws, including Law of Tort, the Consumer Protection Act 2019, the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, and the Law of Evidence. A comparative analysis of laws across the United Kingdom and the United States of America is also made a part of the course curriculum.

In order to enable an understanding of practical implication and difficulties surrounding this emerging area of law, particular attention would also be given to hypothetical case scenarios including when a victim files a legal proceeding before a court of law, and how the said court would address such issues.

This course is standalone in nature and has not been developed on the basis of any prior course in the programme.

Having regard to the fact that this is an emerging area of law, I have approached this course with a careful understanding of the legal difficulties that are likely to arise in the enforcement of this area of law. In order to give a fair understanding to a prospective student who may be a part of this course, I have dwelled upon the legal framework across jurisdictions such as United Kingdom and United States of America.

The materials to be referred for the purpose of this course are both primary and secondary including (a) Statues and Case-laws (India and other jurisdictions including the UK and the USA) and (b) Books, reports and research papers.

The teaching methodology would be a mixture of both (a) Socratic discussion and (b) seminar style discussion. In order to enable a more practical understanding of this emerging area of law, I would also adopt methodologies wherein hypothetical case scenarios and topics are provided to the students for group discussions.