Open Access

Marlene Delventhal

• Diese Dissertation widmet sich der Untersuchung, inwieweit das bestehende Haftungsrecht den neuen Anforderungen im Kontext autonomer Fahrzeuge gerecht wird. Im Zentrum der Analyse stehen die Zurechenbarkeit von Entscheidungen selbstlernender Systeme, die sich daraus ergebenden Beweislastprobleme sowie die Belastbarkeit klassischer Haftungskonzepte. Ergänzend werden relevante europarechtliche Entwicklungen in die Betrachtung einbezogen. Darauf aufbauend entwickelt die Autorin einen Vorschlag für einen zeitgemäßen normativen Rahmen, der sowohl dem Schutz potenziell Geschädigter als auch den Besonderheiten autonom agierender technischer Systeme Rechnung trägt.
• The advancing automation of road traffic through artificial intelligence (AI) poses new challenges for existing liability law. In particular, the introduction of autonomous vehicles raises fundamental questions about liability in the event of damage, as conventional liability models are geared towards human error. This dissertation examines non-contractual liability in the context of autonomous driving systems and analyzes to what extent existing regulations (de lege lata) are sufficient and whether legal adjustments (de lege ferenda) are necessary. First, the technical basics of autonomous driving systems, including machine learning, sensor technology and networking, are presented in order to understand the particular risks of this technology. This is followed by a legal analysis of the distribution of liability between drivers, owners, manufacturers and other actors involved, such as software developers and data providers. Classic liability concepts - in particular owner liability, product liability and tortious liability - are examined for their applicability. A central focus is on the question of the imputability of AI decisions and the burden of proof problems arising from the black box character of self-learning systems. In addition, European regulatory approaches, in particular the planned AI Liability Directive and the reform of the Product Liability Directive, are included in the analysis. The dissertation contributes to the development of a sustainable liability framework that takes account of technological innovations, creates legal certainty and ensures the protection of potentially injured parties.