AI and Liability
German court rules Google liable for errors in its AI overviews. Bruce Schneier argues AI agents are agents of the deploying organization, and allowing businesses to hide behind faulty AI creates perverse incentives.
AI and Liability
Simon Willison’s Weblog
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25th June 2026 - Link Blog
AI and Liability. Bruce Schneier on the recent German ruling that Google be held liable for errors introduced in their AI overviews:
AI agents are agents of the person or organization that deploys them—and should be treated by the law as such. If a company hired human writers to write its summaries, that company would be liable for inaccuracies in those summaries. [...]
To allow businesses to hide behind the excuse of faulty AI in those same circumstances would be a massive handout to companies, and would introduce disastrous incentives for corporate misbehavior. Why hire human writers, lawyers or doctors when AIs are not only cheaper, but also absolve employers whenever they make a mistake?
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This is a link post by Simon Willison, posted on 25th June 2026.
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