The rapidly advancing area of artificial intelligence will require a new field of law and new regulations governing a growing pool of businesses involved, according to Microsoft Corp., a 25-year participant in AI research. Companies making and selling AI software will need to be held responsible for potential harm caused by "unreasonable practices" – if a self-driving car program is set up in an unsafe manner that causes injury or death, for example, Microsoft said. And as AI and automation boost the number of laborers in the gig-economy or on-demand jobs, Microsoft said technology companies need to take responsibility and advocate for protections and benefits for workers, rather than passing the buck by claiming to be just the technology platform'' enabling all this change.

The rapidly advancing area of artificial intelligence will require a new field of law and new regulations governing a growing pool of businesses involved, according to Microsoft Corp., a 25-year participant in AI research. Companies making and selling AI software will need to be held responsible for potential harm caused by "unreasonable practices" – if a self-driving car program is set up in an unsafe manner that causes injury or death, for example, Microsoft said. And as AI and automation boost the number of laborers in the gig-economy or on-demand jobs, Microsoft said technology companies need to take responsibility and advocate for protections and benefits for workers, rather than passing the buck by claiming to be just the technology platform'' enabling all this change. Microsoft broaches these ideas in a 149-page book entitled "The Future Computed," which will also be the subject of a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week. As Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft seeks to be a leader in AI and automating work tasks, it's also trying to get out in front of the challenges expected to arise from promising new technologies, such as job losses and everyday citizens who may be hurt or disadvantaged by malfunctioning or biased algorithms.

The coming era of artificial intelligence and automation will drastically change the workplace, and new laws need to exist to keep up with impending changes, an international group of lawyers said Tuesday. The Global Employment Institute of the International Bar Association released a 120-page report Tuesday, titled "Artificial Intelligence and Robotics and Their Impact on the Workplace." In the report, the legal group warned technological change is outpacing our ability to pass new legislation and install legal frameworks, which means our laws won't reflect the workforce realities they govern if countries don't move quickly to keep up. "The AI phenomenon is on an exponential curve, while legislation is doing its best on an incremental basis," Gerlind Wisskirchen, one of the report's authors, said in a statement. "New labor and employment legislation is urgently needed to keep pace with increased automation."