From Autonomy to Ambiguity Reconfiguring the Legal Landscape in the Age of AI
Produktdetaljer
Biografisk notat
Bart van der Sloot, Tilburg University, the Netherlands<i>‘This book grounds a critique of information technology regulation in psychological and humanistic understandings of human behavior. Van der Sloot argues that a limited rationalistic conception of humanity and autonomy has resulted in an over-emphasis on transparency and consent. Successful regulation, he suggests, must wrestle with a more nuanced conception of humanity. We value rationality and autonomy, but also struggles with willpower, limited capacity, and competing priorities. Our behavior is intensely contigency on our societies and experiences. While van der Sloot does not suggest that the path to more realistic regulation is obvious or simple, he provides specific and provocative suggestions and ideas. Equally importantly, the book encourages readers to join in re-imagining our legal relationship to information technology in a way that acknowledges the ambiguity of the human condition.’</i>
- Katherine J. Strandburg, New York University, USA,
<i>‘In this deeply philosophical and interdisciplinary book, Bart van der Sloot presents a sophisticated and nuanced account of human nature—one that is conflicted and in flux, complicated and elusive, ambiguous and paradoxical—and how modern technologies are wreaking havoc with the complex and confounding forces that push and pull within us. Brimming with insights, van der Sloot’s book shows how current regulation is far too simplistic for the complicated ways technology is affecting humanity.’</i>
- Daniel J. Solove, George Washington University Law School, USA and author of On Privacy and Technology,
<i>‘This book offers a rare and compelling reconfiguration of how law should respond to data-driven technologies, not by extending existing regulatory tools, but by questioning their anthropological foundations. Van der Sloot convincingly shows that the ideal of autonomy, long taken for granted, obscures the ambiguity and internal conflict that define real human decision-making. The result is a deeply interdisciplinary contribution that will resonate across legal theory, data governance, and AI policy.’</i>
- Ichiro Ide, Nagoya University, Japan,
<i>‘Productive, imaginative, and philosophically informed, Bart van der Sloot rethinks the role of law in an age where human autonomy is intermittent, relational, and increasingly mediated by AI. By taking seriously the tensions between our past, present and future selves, he shows how legal frameworks can remain responsive and humane even when we do not fully know ourselves, and he does not shy away from the uneasy questions and moral complexities that any fuller understanding of what it means to be human inevitably bring.’</i>
- Paul de Hert, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Belgium,
Van der Sloot argues that existing legal frameworks, especially within privacy and data protection, are grounded in outdated assumptions about human rationality and control. Proposing innovative ways of thinking about identity, vulnerability, and regulation, he considers the complex and ambiguous reality of being human in a digital age. Chapters investigate how shame, memory, narrative, and performance shape identity formation, and explore concepts such as ‘data minimumization’, the right to fiction, and dual-track governance models. The author considers how both our fascination with technology and our desire to escape our limitations are deeply human traits, engaging with ancient and modern thought to question our increasingly intimate relationship with technology.
This book is an essential resource for students and scholars of digital humanities, human rights, information and media law, internet and technology law, and philosophy. It is also an enlightening read for legal professionals and policymakers involved in data protection, digital security, and privacy.