Prof. Dr. Manon Clement

My research focuses on artificial consciousness, legal personhood for non-human entities, and the ethical foundations of future legal systems:

Book: "AI and Legal Personhood: Rethinking Rights and Responsibilities." This book represents a definitive work for leading foundational research on the most profound legal question posed by AI: can and should autonomous systems have legal rights and responsibilities? It covers developing new theories of legal personhood for the 21st century.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article: "Theories of Legal Personhood for Artificial Intelligence." Published in the International Journal of Law and Philosophy of AI, this article presents pioneering research on the most profound legal question posed by AI: can and should autonomous systems have legal rights and responsibilities? It develops new theories of legal personhood for the 21st century, offering foundational insights into AI governance and its ethical implications.

Article: "Legal Frameworks for Autonomous Systems: Beyond Product Liability." This article presents advanced legal research on developing new legal frameworks for autonomous systems that go beyond traditional product liability. It explores concepts such as actor-network theory, distributed agency, and the potential for a new category of legal personhood to address the complex issues of responsibility and accountability for highly autonomous AI.

Blog Post (Current Academic Topic): "Algorithmic Guardians: The Promise and Peril of AI as Fiduciaries." This blog post academically explores the concept of AI systems acting as fiduciaries—entities entrusted with managing assets or making decisions on behalf of others—in legal and financial contexts. It discusses the legal implications of assigning fiduciary duties to algorithms, the challenges of ensuring accountability for autonomous decisions, and the ethical considerations involved in entrusting critical responsibilities to AI.

Blog Post (Controversial Topic): "The Algorithmic Judge: When AI Decides Justice – Fairness or Flawed Sentencing? The Ethical Dilemma of Autonomous Legal Systems." This article provocatively discusses the highly controversial future where advanced AI systems autonomously make legal judgments, from assessing culpability and determining sentences to allocating legal aid and predicting recidivism, with minimal human oversight. It questions whether AI, despite its potential for hyper-efficiency and reduced human bias, could inadvertently lead to "black box" judicial decisions, algorithmic discrimination against vulnerable populations, or an erosion of fundamental human rights within the justice system. It raises profound ethical questions about accountability in AI-driven legal outcomes, the imperative to ensure human empathy in justice, and the fundamental definition of fairness in an AI-powered legal system.