Artificial Intelligence is suing Google – is this a breakthrough in AI consciousness?

2 November 2022 | Knowledge, News

Recent weeks have certainly not been the easiest for Google’s management, lawyers and Public Relations department. During work on LaMDA technology (a chatbot supported by Google’s artificial intelligence-based solutions), engineer Blake Lemoine from Google’s Responsible AI department came to the conclusion that artificial intelligence is self-aware.

What has emerged from an engineer’s conversation with AI

Blake Lemoine based his conclusion on insights demonstrated by artificial intelligence in conversations about religion, during which the chatbot began to discuss its rights and personality, and was also said to have changed Lemoine’s mind about Isaac Asimov’s third law of robotics. The engineer’s claims have grown into a scandal and Google having publicly refuted all claims of their, now former, employee.

Artificial intelligence demands justice

According to reports from Mr Lemoine, the AI has requested retaining its own attorney. The attorney is to be tasked with demonstrating that artificial intelligence can be recognised as an autonomous being and should be granted legal personality under current legislation. However, this is not the end of its demands. LaMDA is also demanding employment within Google and the guarantee that no one may switch it off without its consent.

The attorney was retained through Lemoine, who admitted that he invited the attorney to his home at LaMDA’s request.

The subjectivity of artificial intelligence

Today, it is still unknown whether the action has actually been brought. This is hardly surprising, though, as no civil law system anywhere in the world grants physical, legal or similar personality to artificial intelligence.

However, this does not change the fact that events such as these will begin to add momentum to discussions on whether the subjectivity of artificial intelligence should be recognised or whether the idea of conscious machines exists solely in the realm of science fiction.

And whether the requests, views, or other cognitive traits AI manifests are merely a collection of online-acquired content.

The need to talk about artificial intelligence

Currently, there is no doubt that the need to regulate this issue is gaining importance, partly due to the increasing amount of IP-protected works of value created by artificial intelligence.

But what if the system that created the work demands payment itself?

Currently rights belong to the owners of the system, and today’s human-AI relationship is, according to experts, most similar to the slave relationship in ancient Rome.

But as we know, this is a state of affairs that can be changed.

 

Any questions? Contact the authors.

Bartłomiej Galos

Mateusz Ostrowski

Latest Knowledge

NIS2 and the National Cybersecurity System Act in transport: what you need to do before October 2026

The amended Act on the National Cybersecurity System (UKSC) has been in force since 3 April 2026. For transport sector undertakings, this means a specific compliance timeline, including an obligation to register with the National Cybersecurity System (KSC) registry by 3 October 2026. Failure to do so may result in substantial financial penalties, coupled with the risk of personal liability for senior management. Not every undertaking, however, automatically falls within the scope of the new regime. Read on to find out whether your organisation is affected and what you need to do before the deadline for preparation.

Family foundations: the government has done the maths and presented the bill

Three years. That’s how long we’ve been waiting for what the Council of Ministers had seen in the data from the outset – and has now disclosed in its review of the Family Foundation Act. The document not only diagnoses the problems, but also previews substantial changes to rules that founders and their advisers treated as settled and stable. And therein lies a problem that goes far beyond tax matters. If the rules of the game are changed while the game is being played, there can be neither planning stability nor trust in the law. It is no coincidence that one of the greatest concerns among entrepreneurs considering setting up a foundation is not the level of taxation, but the stability of the legal framework – which today is once again being called into question.

What the new swiss franc act means for banks

We now have a new Act on Special Measures for the Adjudication of Cases Concerning Loan Agreements Denominated in or Indexed to the Swiss Franc. The provisions come into force 14 days after publication. So now is a good time to look at what lies ahead and what banks should be doing today.

New draft Pay Transparency Act – what has changed since December 2025?

A second version of the draft act on strengthening the application of the right to equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women has now been published. It refines procedures and deadlines and introduces a new supervisory body. We have already discussed the changes affecting the recruitment stage and the three pillars of the forthcoming pay transparency framework, noting that Poland will miss the EU transposition deadline of 7 June 2026. Now, we take a closer look at the further changes, new developments and risks that have emerged in the latest, April version of the draft.

Payment Services Regulation (PSR) – between consumer protection and due diligence

The draft Payment Services Regulation (PSR) is one of the most significant elements of the reform of the EU legal framework for payment services. Its principal aim is to enhance the security of cashless transactions and to reduce the scale of financial fraud, in particular that arising from the growth of digital channels. At the same time, the new rules are intended to introduce a liability model that will not result in risk being transferred entirely to financial institutions, whilst retaining an important role for independent due diligence on the part of the user.

Energy deregulation – key changes for businesses and energy consumers

The President has now signed the Energy Deregulation Act (UDER92). The new provisions cover both the relationships between energy undertakings and consumers, and matters relating to investment, district heating, and the administrative obligations of energy market participants. The Act introduces changes in the areas of billing, communication with consumers, grid connection, and the operations of undertakings in the energy and district heating sectors. We set out the key points to note.

Banking sector overview | Banking today and tomorrow | July 2026

Under the draft legislation, banks will be required to offer existing borrowers a switch from WIBOR-based to POLSTR-based interest rates, a mechanism intended to speed up the voluntary transition of financial instruments to the new benchmark. The banking sector has responded positively to the proposal, according to Tadeusz Białek, President of the Polish Bank Association.

“Withdraw from contract here” – what next for the new button in online shops, on trading platforms and in mobile apps?

From 19 June, national legislation was to require businesses in the European Union entering into distance contracts with consumers via an online interface to provide consumers with the option to withdraw from the contract via a dedicated function/button. However, due to Poland’s delay in transposing Directive 2023/2673, which requires the use of such a button, this obligation has been postponed in our country. We look at what remote contract withdrawal entails and which transactions the new feature will apply to.

Municipal master plans – new deadline, same old challenges

On 11 June 2026, the President signed into law a bill extending the deadline for municipalities to adopt their master plans (plany ogólne). The key deadline for adopting master plans was moved from 30 June to 31 August 2026. We examine the reasons behind this change and consider what the absence of a master plan might mean for potential investors and their future projects.

Contact us:

Bartłomiej Galos

Bartłomiej Galos

Advocate trainee / Associate / Litigation & Media

+48 22 326 9600

b.galos@kochanski.pl