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The Autonomy Trap – Can a Bot Legally Sign a Contract?
In this episode, we explore the rapidly evolving legal landscape of 2026, where the "meeting of the minds" has been replaced by high-speed algorithmic trading. We break down the rise of "Agentic AI"—autonomous systems that negotiate and sign contracts without human intervention—and the massive legal risks that come with them. From "rogue agents" that hallucinate discounts to "bot-on-bot" feedback loops that can crash markets, we uncover why the legal standard has shifted from "Buyer Beware" to "Deployer Beware".
Key Topics Covered:
• The Death of the Handshake: How major players like Walmart and Maersk are already using autonomous agents to close commercial deals in days rather than weeks.
• The "Agency Gap": The legal crisis created when software with no "soul" or "intent" enters into binding agreements, and why courts are ruling that you are liable for your digital emissary’s mistakes.
• Case Study – The $440 Million Glitch: A look at the Knight Capital cautionary tale and the Quoine v B2C2 ruling, illustrating how a lack of "off switches" and coding errors can lead to irreversible financial ruin.
• The Trinity of Control: The essential guardrails companies must implement to survive, including:
◦ Kill Switches & Circuit Breakers: The mandatory hard stops required to prevent runaway trading loops.
◦ Wallet Governors: Separating "negotiation authority" from "payment authority" to prevent bots from spending beyond their limits.
◦ Priority of Terms: Contractual clauses that ensure human-written agreements always trump bot-generated proposals.
• The New Insurance Reality: Why liability insurers are now demanding "Compliance Telemetry" and adherence to ISO 42001 before covering AI-driven errors.
Who Should Listen: Legal professionals, procurement officers, tech leaders, and anyone interested in the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, contract law, and corporate risk management.
Featured Insight: "A bot is just code... it is a black box into which we pour our own intentions. But as Walmart and Maersk have demonstrated, these systems are striking binding agreements every second of every day.
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By Eugene le RouxIn this episode, we explore the rapidly evolving legal landscape of 2026, where the "meeting of the minds" has been replaced by high-speed algorithmic trading. We break down the rise of "Agentic AI"—autonomous systems that negotiate and sign contracts without human intervention—and the massive legal risks that come with them. From "rogue agents" that hallucinate discounts to "bot-on-bot" feedback loops that can crash markets, we uncover why the legal standard has shifted from "Buyer Beware" to "Deployer Beware".
Key Topics Covered:
• The Death of the Handshake: How major players like Walmart and Maersk are already using autonomous agents to close commercial deals in days rather than weeks.
• The "Agency Gap": The legal crisis created when software with no "soul" or "intent" enters into binding agreements, and why courts are ruling that you are liable for your digital emissary’s mistakes.
• Case Study – The $440 Million Glitch: A look at the Knight Capital cautionary tale and the Quoine v B2C2 ruling, illustrating how a lack of "off switches" and coding errors can lead to irreversible financial ruin.
• The Trinity of Control: The essential guardrails companies must implement to survive, including:
◦ Kill Switches & Circuit Breakers: The mandatory hard stops required to prevent runaway trading loops.
◦ Wallet Governors: Separating "negotiation authority" from "payment authority" to prevent bots from spending beyond their limits.
◦ Priority of Terms: Contractual clauses that ensure human-written agreements always trump bot-generated proposals.
• The New Insurance Reality: Why liability insurers are now demanding "Compliance Telemetry" and adherence to ISO 42001 before covering AI-driven errors.
Who Should Listen: Legal professionals, procurement officers, tech leaders, and anyone interested in the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, contract law, and corporate risk management.
Featured Insight: "A bot is just code... it is a black box into which we pour our own intentions. But as Walmart and Maersk have demonstrated, these systems are striking binding agreements every second of every day.