Two Types of Speech
Human speech and robot speech? Where is that in the casebook?
It may soon become part of First Amendment jurisprudence because the court will have to address the question. And it is more serious than a $200 desktop device.
The defendant in the case, James Andrew Bates, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of a man who was found face down in Bates’ bathtub. Victor Parris Collins, an autopsy revealed, died of strangulation and drowning.
Alexa Is a Person, Too
Toni Massaro, professor at the University of Arizona College of Law, told Forbes that “the free speech arguments that favor ‘machine speech’ are surprisingly plausible under current doctrine and theory.”
As Alexa, Siri, and other smart digital agents become more involved in human affairs, the law will be compelled to address their legal rights. In Europe, the Parliament has already proposed rules for robots that would grant them some form of personhood status.
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