Record STMT-W35F9DBAspirational

Towards Granting of Legal Personality to Autonomous Robots in the UAE

Report State lawMiddle East · AEin force

This academic paper discusses the extent to which autonomous robots can be granted legal personality under United Arab Emirates law and the consistency of this approach with Islamic jurisprudence. It examines current classifications of AI systems as things versus persons, and evaluates legislative solutions such as granting partial legal capacity or treating them similarly to minors or historical legal concepts like slaves. The study concludes that autonomous robots cannot be classified strictly as 'things' due to their self-learning capabilities and independent decision-making, and explores potential legal frameworks for their accountability.

Summary and content fields are drawn from the document text and are pending editorial review.

Who issued it

University of DubaiAcademic · AE

Lead issuer

University of SharjahAcademic

Co-issuer

Legal forceAspirational

Under whose authorityState law

Judged fromfull text

Who it governs

Researchers and academicsNational governmentRegulators

Researchers, legal scholars, and policymakers interested in the intersection of artificial intelligence, robot rights, civil liability, and Islamic law.

Sectors

Research and science · legal researchCross-sector

What the document contains

What's covered

The legal status of autonomous robots under UAE law, the applicability of things liability versus personhood, legislative options for granting legal capacity, and the compatibility of these approaches with Islamic jurisprudence.

What's missing

Enforceable legislative amendments or an officially enacted statute by the UAE legislature.

Key takeaways

Autonomous robots cannot be appropriately classified purely as 'things' under UAE law due to their self-learning capabilities and independent decision-making.
Islamic jurisprudence accommodates the creation of independent legal entities and financial capacities, as seen with companies and endowments.
Potential legislative solutions include granting autonomous robots partial legal capacity or an analogized status similar to discerned minors or historical slave law frameworks.
Establishing independent financial liability and registration requirements for autonomous robots can help ensure accountability without hindering technological innovation.

Principles it states

AI systems should be fair, transparent, and accountable.Development of robot technology should focus on complementing human capabilities rather than replacing them.

Outline

· Introduction
· The legal nature of autonomous robots in UAE law
· Legislative solutions to exclude autonomous robots from the concept of things
· Granting autonomous robots dimensioned capacity
· Giving autonomous robots legal capacity like discerned minors
· Conclusion

Issued15 August 2023

Length11,315 words · 25 pages

FormatNot recorded

Scopenational

How it scores

Pending review

Each score is backed by a quote verified against the document text. Editorial review has not yet confirmed them.

Human Dignity

0/5

Respect for the inherent worth of persons

screening score · 2026-10-23

Human Oversight

2/5

Humans remain in control of consequential decisions

it is necessary in the development of robotics and artificial intelligence to ensure the control of humans over smart devices at all times

Section 2.2.1.2

screening score · 2026-10-23

Privacy

0/5

Protection of personal data and private life

screening score · 2026-10-23

Impact Assessment

0/5

Required assessment of an AI system's risks/impacts before or during use

screening score · 2026-10-23

Topics

Physical AI Governancecore

legal_personality autonomous_robots islamic_jurisprudence civil_liability uae_law