Opinion | There’s a 900-Year-Old Answer to Our Most Modern Problem

Human beings are liable for the actions of the machines they create, and if the machines commit crimes or violate the rights of others, then the humans who built the machines should find themselves in profound trouble with the law.

Appreciate the coverage of my investigation from @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social in this sharp rundown on the reckoning that's coming for AI companies as their chatbots fuel violence and other harm www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o... Great article. Altman sounds a lot like Zuckerberg. They would both do right by just retiring and letting other people now handle what they’ve unleashed upon the world.

It's not often I'm in complete agreement with David French: "ChatGPT & Claude & Grok & Gemini are not your friends or, God forbid, your lovers; they are human creations, & their creators are responsible for everything the creatures do." (Though I wouldn't call software a "creature".) (gift link)

"Human beings are responsible for the actions of the machines they create..we’ve already gotten into the bad habit of anthropomorphizing our A.I. chatbots. We talk to Chat and Claude as though we’re talking to people, but we’re actually interacting with a virtual manifestation of a corporate entity"

The important lesson here is that common law enforcement is often more effective than government legal prescriptions. Don't write laws to govern AI. Tort lawyers will do that. Don't write laws against irreversible child transgender treatment. Tort law will stop it. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

🎁 #GiftLink www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

There’s a 900-Year-Old Answer to Our Most Modern Problem www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

Important article This is a gift article, no payroll. #AI #ChatGPT www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

900-Year-Old Answer to a Modern Problem Common law #law #ai 👏 Humans are liable for actions of machines they create, and if the machines commit crimes or violate the rights of others, then the humans who built the machines should be responsible www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o... archive.md/PyxPh

Sounds like common law may provide another means to hold the GAI slop builders liable for intellectual property violations @kortizart.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

"We talk to Chat and Claude and Grok as though we’re talking to people, but we’re actually interacting with a virtual manifestation of a corporate entity, and that corporate entity is responsible for everything its chatbot says and does." Worth reading: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o... Mr French illuminates the need for AI regulation and consequences for algorithms gone awry. We have industries (e.g. gun, tobacco and fossil fuel) that result in much destruction with little accountability and much profit. Let's not let AI add itself to the list.

Very important piece on legal liability of AI from David French (gift article) www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

Excellent read. The creators of AI must be held accountable for the “actions” of their machines. ⚖️ www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

Gift: good points by French but it’s weird that he doesn’t contemplate the tort reform of the common law taken on by insurers and big business over the last 50 yrs coming as legislative response from industry There’s a 900-Year-Old Answer to Our Most Modern Problem www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

Opinion | There’s a 900-Year-Old Answer to Our Most Modern Problem - The New York Times www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

Guillotines?

gift link to French NYT "900-Year-Old Answer" article www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o... His answer is judge made English common law, especially tort law

Can Artificial Intelligence be dangerous? You betcha! It's created by flawed people with bias (true of all people). So what can we do? Unlocked NYT article: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o... From AI that can find otherwise undiscoverable vulnerabilities in software (cybersecurity risk!) to AI that will aid and abet crimes (biological weapons, suicide, murder . . . ). IMO, the sponsors/producers of AI are liars. Perhaps their comeuppance is at hand.

There’s a 900-Year-Old Answer to Our Most Modern Problem www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

There’s a 900-Year-Old Answer to Our Most Modern Problem www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

Yes. Put Sam Altman in jail. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

There’s a 900-Year-Old Answer to Our Most Modern Problem www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

There’s a 900-Year-Old Answer to Our Most Modern Problem www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

"Human beings are responsible for the actions of the machines they create, and that will not change even if that machine seems to “think” on its own." One way to cut down the Billionaire-class is to SUE them. #taxtherich or #guillotine are other ways. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

There’s a 900-Year-Old Answer to Our Most Modern Problem www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o...

There’s a 900-Year-Old Answer to Our Most Modern Problem www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/o... @ms.now @jonlemire.bsky.social @chrislhayes.bsky.social @stephruhle.bsky.social @jenpsaki.bsky.social