Browsing by Author "Adams, Nathan-Ross"

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    South African company law in the fourth industrial revolution: Does artificial intelligence create a need for legal reform?
    (University of the Western Cape, 2021) Adams, Nathan-Ross; Botha, Monray Marsellus
    Across the world, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is disrupting the law. The 4IR has specifically disrupted commercial law in areas such as banking, competition, consumer protection, contract, insurance, labour, and personality. In addition, company law has also substantially been impacted by the 4IR. Leading legal scholars refer to this process of transformation as the ‘Digitalisation of Company Law’. More specifically, the scholars attribute the transformation to technological advancements. These advancements include increased access to the internet, cheaper access to internet-powered computers and mobile phones, the rapid sharing of knowledge, advanced computer programmes, and innovative business models. Among the technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) is the most disruptive and transformative. AI refers to the simulation of human intelligence by algorithms, computer programmes, and machines. Moreover, AI can assume many forms. On the one hand, it can be combined with robotic technology to manifest in human form like Sophia, the world’s first robot citizen. On the other hand, AI can take the form o chatbots, autonomous vehicles, and virtual assistants, for example, Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, or Microsoft’s Cortana. Excitingly, future AI could even immortalise human beings. However, beyond these examples, it appears that there are no limits on the forms AI can assume: every day, discoveries emerge.