The Legal Issues in the Introduction of Autonomous Vehicles in India

Abstract

The present article shall attempt to discuss the nuances of autonomous technology and its direct correlation with the existing legal infrastructure in India as well as the future prospects of the same. Before the legal issues are addressed in this paper, it is incumbent to briefly establish the premise, the purpose and the technology involved in the development of artificial intelligence operated vehicles. The communication system and its interaction with the other components of the vehicle are also addressed. The legal issues considered here are limited to the admissibility of autonomous vehicles under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the concerns of erosion of data privacy, the moral dilemma and decision-making ability in moral situations and the nascent context of cyber-hacking. Their imminent introduction in the near future requires an immediate stabilization of legal principles and provisions to suit vulnerabilities and strengths of such an advanced technology and the shortcomings of the present legislation highlighted.