August 19, 2026

Who is liable when an AI agent acts contrary to its developer’s or user’s instructions? Despite its name, nothing about agentic AI establishes a legal relationship of agency, says Professor Deborah A. DeMott, but such tools can still do harm. DeMott addresses the “responsibility gap” when agents misfire and shows how agency law may apply to agentic AI as the legal community grapples with the implications of this fast-moving technology.

TV and radio broadcasters have long made content decisions based on their own editorial discretion, with little interference from the FCC. But regulatory self-restraint has largely been due to norms, not legal constraints, says Professor Stuart Benjamin, and that could put speech protections for broadcasters at risk if regulators decide to upend those norms.

AI chatbots have enormous potential to improve access to justice, but giving wrong answers to people trying to navigate the legal system could jeopardize their rights. Professor Keith Porcaro discusses best practices for designing and deploying reliable, trustworthy legal AI tools.

Know someone who would enjoy receiving this newsletter? Please forward this email and have them subscribe.