Automation and liability: an analysis in the context of socio-technical systems

The introduction of highly automated technologies in socio-technical systems gives rise to new legal questions, especially as concerns liability for accidents, calling for new models of allocating decision-making tasks between humans and machines. In this article, I shall analyse the impact of automation in the allocation of liability within STSs. I shall also introduce the Überlingen aviation accident and analyse a lawsuit triggered by the accident, concerning the assessment of liabilities related to the development and use of automated technologies. I will conclude with some considerations on the role that the law can play with regards to the development and use of highly automated systems.