The article examines the impact of artificial intelligence on the legal concept of contractual will, with specific regard to algorithmic contracts and smart contracts. Starting from the traditional role of will as the foundation of binding legal effects, the analysis questions whether decisions autonomously adopted by AI systems can be attributed legal relevance and whether they can be framed within the classical schemes of private autonomy. After excluding that AI systems may be regarded as subjects endowed with legally relevant will, the contribution reconstructs their role as objective mechanisms for the integration and determination of contractual content, comparable to predefined criteria or to the biancosegno model. A clear distinction is then drawn between algorithmic contracts—where AI affects the formation or integration of contractual regulation—and smart contracts, which are primarily conceived as tools for the automated execution of the contractual programme. The analysis ultimately proposes a coherent qualification of software as a possible documentary element of contractual declarations, clarifying the limits within which automation may operate without undermining the core requirements of private autonomy and legal responsibility.
Il contributo analizza l’impatto dell’intelligenza artificiale sulla nozione giuridica di volontà negoziale, con particolare riferimento ai contratti algoritmici e agli smart contracts. Muovendo dalla centralità della volontà come fondamento del vincolo giuridico, l’Autore si interroga sulla possibilità di attribuire rilievo giuridico alle decisioni assunte autonomamente da sistemi di IA e sulla loro riconducibilità agli schemi tradizionali dell’autonomia privata. Dopo aver escluso che tali sistemi possano essere considerati soggetti dotati di volontà giuridicamente rilevante, il lavoro ricostruisce il ruolo dell’IA come strumento di integrazione oggettiva della regolazione contrattuale, assimilabile a un criterio di determinazione del contenuto negoziale o al meccanismo del biancosegno. Viene quindi proposta una distinzione netta tra contratti algoritmici, in cui l’IA incide sulla formazione o integrazione della volontà contrattuale, e smart contracts, intesi prevalentemente come strumenti di esecuzione automatica del programma negoziale. L’analisi conduce a una ricostruzione unitaria del software come possibile elemento documentale della dichiarazione contrattuale, chiarendo i limiti entro cui l’automazione può operare senza compromettere i presupposti fondamentali della responsabilità e dell’autonomia privata.
Negociación algorítmica y voluntad
Francesco Ricci
2025-01-01
Abstract
The article examines the impact of artificial intelligence on the legal concept of contractual will, with specific regard to algorithmic contracts and smart contracts. Starting from the traditional role of will as the foundation of binding legal effects, the analysis questions whether decisions autonomously adopted by AI systems can be attributed legal relevance and whether they can be framed within the classical schemes of private autonomy. After excluding that AI systems may be regarded as subjects endowed with legally relevant will, the contribution reconstructs their role as objective mechanisms for the integration and determination of contractual content, comparable to predefined criteria or to the biancosegno model. A clear distinction is then drawn between algorithmic contracts—where AI affects the formation or integration of contractual regulation—and smart contracts, which are primarily conceived as tools for the automated execution of the contractual programme. The analysis ultimately proposes a coherent qualification of software as a possible documentary element of contractual declarations, clarifying the limits within which automation may operate without undermining the core requirements of private autonomy and legal responsibility.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
