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22 May 2026
Issue: 8162 / Categories: Legal News , Artificial intelligence , Technology , Profession , Liability
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NLJ this week: Chatbots in the dock as AI liability questions mount

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As AI chatbots increasingly provide legal and commercial advice, English law is beginning to confront who should bear responsibility when automated systems get things wrong

Writing in NLJ this week, Mary Young of Kingsley Napley examines how traditional principles of misrepresentation struggle when applied to large language models such as ChatGPT. Because AI systems are not legal persons, claimants must instead seek to attribute liability to developers, operators or companies deploying the technology.

Young points to the Canadian Air Canada chatbot case, where the airline was held responsible after false information appeared on its website, despite arguments that the chatbot operated autonomously.

The article also explores whether software developers could owe duties analogous to trustees or company directors, drawing on Tulip Trading v Van Der Laan. Yet proving fraudulent intent remains difficult where AI systems generate inaccurate information without human involvement, making successful claims an uphill struggle.

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Carpmaels & Ransford—Kevin Cordina

Carpmaels & Ransford—Kevin Cordina

Firm adds former Simmons Simmons patent head to engineering and tech team

ACTAPS—Sally Goodger

ACTAPS—Sally Goodger

Freeths strengthens its voice in national disputes with ACTAPS committee appointment

NEWS
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Murder could be split into first and second degrees, under Law Commission proposals for a historic overhaul of homicide offences
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Australian-style ban on social media for under-16s will be difficult to enforce, lawyers have warned
One in two women in law say their current working pattern is unsustainable for their long-term health, according to a report by the Next 100 Years project
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has highlighted a lack of safeguards where people use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help with legal problems
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