Impact of New Technologies on Economic Behavior and Consumer Freedom of Choice: from Neuromarketing to Neuro-Rights

Objective: to identify the possibilities for an adequate response of the existing legal regime to the various challenges posed to European law by artificial intelligence systems underlying neuromarketing techniques.Methods: the study is based on the risk-oriented approach, formal-logical, formal-legal and comparative-legal methods, as well as on the method of legal forecasting, in order to identify the problems of legislation caused by the emerging technologies capable of recognizing human emotions and using them to control consumer behavior, and to propose ways to solve them.Results: the conducted research provides a brief overview of the most widely used neuromarketing techniques used by algorithms and machine learning. These allow identifying points of cognitive and emotional vulnerability, collecting and processing data, and then building the most effective marketing techniques that push a consumer to choose a certain product or service. Ethical problems are analyzed which arise from the use of neuromarketing techniques in relation to some basic values such as individual independence, human dignity, and freedom of choice. The subtle line is shown between techniques that manipulate consumer behavior (manipulation technique) and those that, on the contrary, have a persuasive effect, which in itself does not make them illegal (persuasion technique). An overview of the existing legal framework is presented, as well as case law from both the European Court of Justice and national courts of member states with a particular focus on the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, the EU General Regulation on the Protection of Personal Data (hard law), and codes of ethics (soft law).Scientific novelty: the paper points out the transformation of traditional legal categories and important problem points of the existing regulation due to the growing recognition of the potential of neuromarketing as a tool capable of explaining and predicting consumer behavior, as well as influencing the economic behavior of the subjects of relations.Practical significance: the obtained conclusions and proposals can be taken into account in improving the regulation of artificial intelligence in terms of its safety and reliability, increasing trust in the system, given the need to protect ethical principles and maintain fundamental values

The Evolving Role of Copyright Law in the Age of AI-Generated Works

Objective: to identify the prospects and directions of copyright law development associated with the increasing use of generative artificial intelligence. Methods: the study is based on the formal-legal, comparative, historical methods, doctrinal analysis, legal forecasting and modeling. Results:the article states that the emergence of generative artificial intelligence makes one rethink the processes occurring in the field of creative activity and the traditional copyright system, which becomes inadequate to modern realities. The author substantiates the necessity of legal reassessment of copyright and emphasizes the urgent need for updated means of copyright protection. Unlike previous digital tools, which expanded human creativity by improving original works, generative artificial intelligence creates content through complex algorithmic processes, blurring the boundaries of authorship and originality. The research shows limitations of existing intellectual property law, as courts deny copyright in works created by artificial intelligence and insist on the need for “human authorship”. Such decisions emphasize the contradiction between existing laws and the reality of co-creation involving artificial intelligence. It is argued that taking into account the creative potential of generative artificial intelligence will facilitate the evolution of copyright law towards hybrid approaches, with artificial intelligence as an integral, albeit secondary, tool. It seems promising to create flexible intellectual property standards that give artists the opportunity to restrict or authorize the use of their works as training data for artificial intelligence, as well as ensure that authors retain control over their works included in datasets for training artificial intelligence, in case copyright metadata is integrated into digital works, etc. Scientific novelty: based on the analysis of the latest judicial precedents, modern international regulations and evolving institutional practices, the author proposes a balanced adaptive approach to copyright reform to ensure the ethical integration of generative artificial intelligence into the creative ecosystem and to develop flexible copyright protection measures that correspond to the rapid technological progress. Practical significance: the proposed combined approach will allow generative AI tools to become part of the human creative process in the same way that previous generations used digital tools. At the same time, it will contribute to the creation of an environment where the autonomy of authors is respected. This will not only protect the creators of creative content, but also broaden the understanding of creativity as a collaboration with generative artificial intelligence, where artificial intelligence is positioned as a force that complements but not replaces humans in creativity

Quantum Law: The Beginning

Objective: to formulate the bases for quantum law as the law of the future, based on the study of quantum phenomena and features of quantum technologies determining the risks and challenges associated with the emergence of these technologies, as well as the analysis of legal regulation of quantum technologies in the Russian Federation and abroad.Methods: to carry out this research, the authors applied a complex of general scientific methods of systemic analysis and specific methods of engineering and legal sciences. The use of comparative-legal method allowed revealing the main directions of developing legal regulation of quantum technologies in the Russian and foreign law orders based on the analysis of their international and national regulation. The method of legal modeling allowed forming a concept of quantum law, revealing the main vectors of its development and the complex of its ethical-legal principles.Results: the features and properties of quantum technologies were revealed which can change the development of law with the advent of these technologies; the main risks and challenges were identified which are associated with the development of quantum technologies; the features of quantum technologies regulation in some foreign countries were specified; the trends of developing the quantum technologies regulation in the Russian Federation were identified; the conceptual bases of quantum law were formulated, as well as the vectors of its development.Scientific novelty: for the first time in the legal science, a complex analysis of the current national (both Russian and foreign) regulation of quantum technologies was carried out, based on which an attempt was made to substantiate the need to form quantum law and to outline the main vectors of its development.Practical significance: the research results lay the foundation for forming the concept of quantum law; in this regard, the authors’ conclusions and proposals for improving the current regulation of quantum technologies can be used in law-making and law enforcement in this sphere, and may lay the bases for further research in the sphere of quantum technologies

International and Russian Legal Regulation of the Turnover of Crypto-assets: Conceptual-Terminological Correlation

Objective: to assess the Russian legislation for its compliance with the international-legal approaches to shaping symmetrical regulation of crypto-assets and possibility to complement it with new internationallegal categories reflecting the in-depth changes in the global economy and structure of international finance, determined by the broad introduction of new financial technologies based on distributed ledger technologies.Methods: the methodological basis of the research is a set of general scientific methods of scientific cognition, among which of utmost importance are special-legal (formal-legal and comparative-legal) methods, complemented with risk-oriented approach, legal modeling and juridical forecasting. Applied integrally, they allowed comprehending the architecture, “letter and “spirit” of the modern international financial law and national legislation in their conceptual-terminological correlation and to forecast further development and adjustment of the legal regulation of crypto-assets turnover.Results: it was found that there appears a stable trend in the crypto-assets turnover regulation, according to which “soft” law dominates among the law sources (this is especially notable in the sphere of international financial law compared, for example, with conventions or international treaties); at the same time, there is a strengthening trend of “fragmentation” of international law with regard to crypto-assets turnover; the authors mark inconsistency of the conceptual framework contained in international acts and in the Russian legislation, as well as the gaps in the regime of crypto-assets turnover at the level of national law; the trends and forecasts are presented referring to the development of international-legal regulation of the sphere of crypto-assets.Scientific novelty: consists, first of all, in a complex comparison, based on, among other aspects, the fundamentally new concepts of regulation of such progressive international-legal categories as cryptoasset, virtual asset, cryptocurrency, stablecoin, etc., some of them rarely used in the Russian legal discourse and actually never applied in legislation.Practical significance: the scientifically grounded proposals are formulated, aimed at improving the conceptual-terminological framework of the Russian legislation in the sphere of crypto-assets turnover, implementation of which will allow constructing a common legal space with the technologically most advanced states, will help to improve investment climate and financial attraction of the state; will improve the national-legal regime of crypto-assets turnover from the viewpoint of not only actual market demands, but also state security interests and improving competitiveness of the Russian legislation

Medical nanorobots in the focus of law

Objective: to form doctrinal bases and mechanics of legal regulation of using medical nanorobots; to conceptualize the idea of nanorobotics law within the frameworks of its basic definitions, safety norms, risks, typology of devices, and legal parameters of technological terminology.Methods: the cognition tools are represented in the form of integration between general scientific and modern special legal methods (including the methods of comparative legal studies, legal modeling and juridical forecasting, NBICS-convergence), which, taken as a whole, allow distinguishing in the study object not only juridical proper, but also anthropological, biomedical, informational, and mechanistic research projections.Results: the author’s definition of the medical nanorobot concept was formulated; the legal content and quasi-legal aspects of the definition that are important for the theoretical and applied development of terminology were investigated; the signs of related concepts (biomedical robot, nanorobotic system, medical nanorobotic system) were identified and logical connections between them were established; the classification of the main types of risks associated with the practical use of medical nanorobots was carried out; the list of theoretical and legal contradictions that are potentially capable of negatively affecting the future development of regulatory practice was revealed; the Russian and foreign experience of legal regulation and doctrinal understanding of the problems of medical nanorobotics (by the examples of the USA, Japan, Europe, China) was considered.Scientific novelty: under the lack of interdisciplinary research, an attempt was made to comprehensively consider the concept of a medical nanorobot in a technological, legal and communicative way (“human robot” on a nanoscale) based on the advanced scientific research that defines the foundations of the future nanorobotic law. It is recommended to supplement the synergetic development of biomedical and related technologies, reflected in the models of robot law and robot ethics, with relatively independent concepts of nanorobot law and nanorobot ethics.Practical significance: based on the analysis of the legal regulation system in force in Russia and abroad, mechanisms for improving domestic legislation were identified, including taking into account the achievements of juridical crowdsourcing. Within the framework of socio-humanitarian issues, a contribution to the development of legal, sociological, and psychological science is formed. A scientific and methodological basis was prepared for further legal research and law-making activities in the field of medical nanorobotics

Algorithmic Discrimination and Privacy Protection

Objective: emergence of digital technologies such as Artificial intelligence became a challenge for states across the world. It brought many risks of the violations of human rights, including right to privacy and the dignity of the person. That is why it is highly relevant to research in this area. That is why this article aims to analyse the role played by algorithms in discriminatory cases. It focuses on how algorithms may implement biased decisions using personal data. This analysis helps assess how the Artificial Intelligence Act proposal can regulate the matter to prevent the discriminatory effects of using algorithms.Methods: the methods used were empirical and comparative analysis. Comparative analysis allowed to compare regulation of and provisions of Artificial Intelligence Act proposal. Empirical analysis allowed to analyse existing cases that demonstrate us algorithmic discrimination.Results: the study’s results show that the Artificial Intelligence Act needs to be revised because it remains on a definitional level and needs to be sufficiently empirical. Author offers the ideas of how to improve it to make more empirical.Scientific novelty: the innovation granted by this contribution concerns the multidisciplinary study between discrimination, data protection and impact on empirical reality in the sphere of algorithmic discrimination and privacy protection.Practical significance: the beneficial impact of the article is to focus on the fact that algorithms obey instructions that are given based on the data that feeds them. Lacking abductive capabilities, algorithms merely act as obedient executors of the orders. Results of the research can be used as a basis for further research in this area as well as in law-making process

Remote Methods of Conducting Transactions Using Digital Technologies

Objective: to substantiate the need to identify new contractual constructs (models) taking into account the specific relations associated with the use of remote method of contract conclusion through digital technologies and to study the possible risks for their participants.Methods: along with special legal methods, the method of critical analysis was fundamental for the research process, which allowed us to evaluate and interpret the main sources and norms of civil law in relation to distant transactions. It also allowed assessing the current state of legislation in this area in the context of developing processes of digitalization and technologization of civil-law relations.Results: a critical analysis of the current state of legal regulation of remote ways of concluding contracts is presented, their classification is given. It is concluded that the digital technologies development gives rise to new remote ways of transactions, as well as fills with new content the procedures of contract conclusion, traditional for civil law. The expediency of singling out the concept of a “distant transaction” as a legal category in order to create a special civil-law regime is substantiated, and the basic concept being that of a “distant contract”. Certain types of distant contracts are analyzed to substantiate the need for special legal regimes in cases when the distant method of contract conclusion is combined with the use of digital technologies. It poses such problems as the distribution of risks of technological failures, hacker attacks, compliance with the balance of interests of the parties taking into account information asymmetry, and the need to protect the weaker party.Scientific novelty: an attempt is made to define such concepts as a “distant contract” and a “distant transaction” and to identify their features. The expediency is substantiated of considering a distant contract as a separate legal construction (model) of the contract. Within this framework, a special legal regime should be developed and fixed, which can be extended to unilateral distant transactions. The problems of legal regulation caused by the use of information technologies are formulated, and legal constructions for their solution are proposed.Practical significance: the final conclusions and proposals can be used both in contractual practice by the participants of civil turnover and for the normative consolidation of the concept and features of “distant contract”, “distant transaction”. A special legal regime can be created, taking into account the specificity generated by the use of digital technologies

Towards Legal Regulations of Generative AI in the Creative Industry

Objective: this article aims to answer the following questions: 1. Can generative artificial intelligence be a subject of copyright law? 2. What risks the unregulated use of generative artificial intelligence systems can cause? 3. What legal gaps should be filled in to minimize such risks?Methods: comparative legal analysis, sociological method, concrete sociological method, quantitative data analysis, qualitative data analysis, statistical analysis, case study, induction, deduction.Results: the authors identified several risks of the unregulated usage of generative artificial intelligence in the creative industry, among which are: violation of copyright and labor law, violation of consumers rights and the rise of public distrust in government. They suggest that a prompt development of new legal norms can minimize these risks. In conclusion, the article constants that states have already begun to realize that the negative impact of generative artificial intelligence on the creative industry must not be ignored, hence the development of similar legal regulations in states with completely different regimes.Scientific novelty: the article provides a comprehensive study of the impact of generative artificial intelligence on the creative industry from two perspectives: the perspective of law and the perspective of the industry. The empirical basis of it consists of two international surveys and an expert opinion of a representative of the industry. This approach allowed the authors to improve the objectivity of their research and to obtain results that can be used for finding a practical solution for the identified risks. The problem of the ongoing development and popularization of generative artificial intelligence systems goes beyond the question “who is the author?” therefore, it needs to be solved by introduction of other than the already existing mechanisms and regulations - this point of view is supported not only by the results of the surveys but also by the analysis of current lawsuits against developers of generative artificial intelligence systems.Practical significance: the obtained results can be used to fasten the development of universal legal rules, regulations, instruments and standards, the current lack of which poses a threat not only to human rights, but also to several sectors within the creative industry and beyond

Problems and Prospects of Regulating Relations within a Deal Effected with Participation of Artificial Intelligence

Objective: to research the problem of determining the subject of a legally relevant act effected with participation of artificial intelligence, as well as distribution of responsibility for the consequences of its performance.Methods: to illustrate the problematic and practical significance of the issue of legal personality of artificial intelligence, we chose automated procurements for public and corporate needs; the methodological basis of the research is the set of methods of scientific cognition, including comparison, retrospective analysis, analogy, and synthesis.Results: by the example of the sector of competitive procurements for public and corporate needs, the evolution of automation of economic relations up to artificial intelligence introduction was analyzed. Successfully tested reactions to the challenges of stage-by-stage introduction of digital technologies into economic relations were demonstrated, as well as the respective modifications of legal regulation. Based on the current level of technological development, the prospective questions are formulated, associated with the legal regulation of  economic relations implemented with the use of artificial intelligence, first of all, the question of defining the subject of a deal effected with participation of artificial intelligence. As an invitation for discussion after analysis of jurists’ conclusions about the probable variants of the legal status of artificial intelligence, the author proposes variants of answers to the question of its legal personality when effecting a deal. To solve the issue of responsibility for the decisions resulting from the implementation of algorithms of a software and hardware package, we propose several models of distributing such responsibility among its creator, owner, and other persons, whose actions might influence the results of such an algorithm functioning. The proposed conclusions may be used to develop normative regulation both as a set and individually.Scientific novelty: based on the analysis of evolution of the practices of using digital technologies in procurement, the work formulates potential legal problems, determined by the constant automation of economic relations, and proposes legal constructs to solve such problems.Practical significance: the conclusions and proposals of this work are of prospective significance for conceptual comprehension and normative regulation of electronic procurement tools both at corporate and national level

Future of the Artificial Intelligence: Object of Law or Legal Personality?

Objective: to reveal the problems associated with legal regulation of public relations, in which artificial intelligence systems are used, and to rationally comprehend the possibility of endowing such systems with a legal subject status, which is being discussed by legal scientists.Methods: the methodological basis of the research are the general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, analogy, abstraction and classification. Among the legal methods primarily applied in the work are formal-legal, comparative-legal and systemic-structural methods, as well as the methods of law interpretation and legal modeling.Results: the authors present a review of the state of artificial intelligence development and its introduction into practice by the time of the research. Legal framework in this sphere is considered; the key current concepts of endowing artificial intelligence with a legal personality (individual, collective and gradient legal personality of artificial intelligence) are reviewed. Each approach is assessed; conclusions are made as to the most preferable amendments in the current legislation, which ceases to correspond to the reality. The growing inconsistency is due to the accelerated development of artificial intelligence and its spreading in various sectors of economy, social sphere, and in the nearest future – in public management. All this testifies to the increased risk of a break between legal matter and the changing social reality.Scientific novelty: scientific approaches are classified which endow artificial intelligence with a legal personality. Within each approach, the key moments are identified, the use of which will allow in the future creating legal constructs based on combinations, avoiding extremes and observing the balance between the interests of all parties. The optimal variant to define the legal status of artificial intelligence might be to include intellectual systems into a list of civil rights objects, but differentiating the legal regulation of artificial intelligence as an object of law and an “electronic agent” as a quasi subject of law. The demarcation line should be drawn depending on the functional differences between intellectual systems, while not only a robot but also a virtual intellectual system can be considered an “electronic agent”.Practical significance: the research materials can be used when preparing proposals for making amendments and additions to the current legislation, as well as when elaborating academic course and writing tutorials on the topics related to regulation of using artificial intelligence