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Professor Ketan Ramakrishnan Named to Civil Liability for Artificial Intelligence Project

detail of a lantern at YLS against a brick and stone wall

Associate Professor of Law Ketan Ramakrishnan ’21 has been named as an associate reporter to The American Law Institute’s (ALI) Principles of the Law, Civil Liability for Artificial Intelligence project.

The project launched in October 2024 and is led by Sheila Lubetsky Birnbaum Professor of Civil Litigation Mark Geistfeld of New York University School of Law.

Ketan Ramakrishnan ’21
Professor Ketan Ramakrishnan

The project “seeks to identify a set of principles, grounded in existing common-law tort doctrines, for assigning responsibility for harm caused by artificial intelligence systems,” according to ALI’s website. It aims to “help courts, regulators, and technologists understand the legal implications of artificial intelligence to help guide decision-making and provide clarity for all parties.”

Reporters and associate reporters lead the work, structuring the project and reporting to the Institute through revising a series of drafts that incorporate a full airing of viewpoints. The final product represents the considered scholarship, experience, and judgment of the ALI as a whole.

“Artificial intelligence has become front-page news, and in a short time has seen rapid advancements and increasing integration in many aspects of our society,” said ALI Director Diane P. Wood. “As AI systems become more sophisticated and capable, legal questions surrounding their use, including exposure to liability and ethical implications, are becoming increasingly complex and pressing. Given the anticipated increase in AI adoption by many industries over the next decade, now is an opportune time for The American Law Institute to undertake a more sustained analysis of common-law AI liability topics through a Principles project.”

Ramakrishnan joined Yale Law School’s faculty in 2023. His teaching and research interests include torts, contracts, property, A.I. governance, and moral and legal theory. He received an A.B. in philosophy from Harvard College, a D.Phil. in philosophy from the University of Oxford, and a J.D. from Yale Law School.