The 38th Annual Silha Lecture, “The Defamation Machine”

The 38th Annual Silha Lecture, “The Defamation Machine” will be presented by Professor James Grimmelmann, Tessler Family Professor of Digital and Information Law, Cornell Tech and Cornell Law School.

Beginning with the question, “Can ChatGPT commit libel?”, Professor Grimmelmann will consider how defamation of a public figure requires a false statement of fact made with knowledge or reckless disregard of its falsity. But do these doctrines regarding defamation, which were created with humans in mind, make sense when the “defendant” is a computer system? Professor Grimmelmann will argue that answering these legal questions requires us to confront deep philosophical problems about the nature of language and thought. During his lecture, he will revisit some of the classic thought experiments about artificial intelligence from a lawyer’s point of view, including like the Turing Test (brought to public attention in the film “The Imitation Game”), ultimately addressing the question: If corporations can be human enough to be held liable for defamation, why can’t computers?

This event is free and open to the public; no registration is required to attend the live event.  

To learn more about this event, lick on any of the following links:
View the video of the 2023 Lecture here.
View a slideshow of the 2023 Lecture here. Click on each slide to advance through the slideshow.
Read a Silha Bulletin story promoting the 38th Annual Silha Lecture with Professor James Grimmelmann here.
Read a Silha Bulletin story covering the 38th Annual Silha Lecture with Professor James Grimmelmann here.