On February 4, 2025, our institute hosted a professional lecture by one of the founders of the field of IT law and IT forensics in the Czech Republic, and a court expert, Professor Vladimír Smejkal, on the topic of Criminal Liability for AI. This issue is becoming increasingly relevant with the growing use of AI in various fields – from industry and medicine to autonomous vehicle control.
In his lecture, Professor Smejkal presented the key legal challenges associated with AI deployment and analyzed possible liability scenarios. He focused particularly on the question of who bears legal consequences when AI causes damage or commits a criminal act. The main points of his discussion included:
- AI as an autonomous entity vs. legal personality – Can artificial intelligence be considered a legally responsible entity?
- Liability of developers, operators, and users – Who can be prosecuted in case of misconduct?
- EU regulation and the AI Act – European legislative approaches to AI liability issues.
- Practical impacts on the judicial system – How can criminal liability be effectively enforced?
The lecture sparked great interest among both professionals and students, who engaged in discussions about possible legal solutions and the future development of legislation in this field. Professor Smejkal emphasized that current legal systems are not fully prepared for the rapid advancement of AI, and some principles of criminal law will need to be reconsidered.
Due to the significant interest from the professional community and the societal importance of the topic of AI and law, we will follow up on this introductory lecture with a specialized conference in May 2025.
