The personification of autonomous artificial intelligence agents

Abstract

In this paper, the author seeks to investigate if autonomous agents based on artificial intelligence could be regarded as persons by Law. In order to do so, the reasons that inform the personification of human beings and legal entities will be analyzed, as to verify if those could also be applied to artificial systems. It will be argued that since such agents do not possess intrinsic intentionality, it is only possible to grant them personality in a strictly formal sense, based in utilitarian criteria, as in the case of legal entities.