So here’s a tangential but important question about responsibility: if a human intentionally sets up an AI agent, lets it loose in the internet, and that AI agent breaks a law (let’s say cybercrime, but there are many other laws which could be broken by an unrestrained agent), should the human who set it up be held responsible?

I don't think that there is any ambiguity here. If I light a candle and it sets the building on fire, I'm liable for it.

well i think obviously yes. If i setup a machine to keep trying to break the password on an electronic safe and it eventually succeeds i'm still the one in trouble. There's a couple of cases where an agent did something stupid and the owner tried to get out of it but were still held liable.

Here's one where an AI agent gave someone a discount it shouldn't have. The company tried to claim the agent was acting on its own and so shouldn't have to honor the discount but the court found otherwise.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/aircanada-chatbot-discount-cust...