The Rise of AI Avatars: Legal Personhood, Rights and Liabilities in an Evolving Metaverse

Objective: to determine the legal implications of the development of autonomous and creative AI-based avatars and to shape the direction of the discourse on the responsible management of AI technologies in the meta-universe based on proactive interdisciplinary approaches. Methods: the research is based on a doctrinal legal approach, which allowed presenting a prospective analysis of the legal landscape in the field of AI avatars in the metaverse and to identify four key thematic areas of research: the evolution of AI avatars and the impact of the metaverse, the applicability of legal personhood, the liability for autonomous actions, and the problems of AI avatars in the field of creativity related to intellectual property and privacy. Results: the paper presents and analyzes predictive scenarios of AI avatars maximizing their influence in the metaverse space. The author notes that the emergence of AI-based avatars in the metaverse raises complex legal, ethical, philosophical and social issues that require urgent solutions. The potential impact of the increasing complexity of AI avatars on legal approaches is considered. As avatars become increasingly autonomous, questions arise about their legal status, rights, responsibilities, risks, and benefits to humans and society. The author analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of giving AI avatars the status of legal entities, as well as applying the concept of distributed responsibility to the consequences of their actions. Special attention is paid to the possible future dominance of super-intelligent AI-based avatars in the metaverse, taking into account the existing risks and needs in the field of governance. Scientific novelty: the article presents a new perspective on the problem of legal personality in the metaverse based on interdisciplinary analysis of the evolution of AI avatars. The research is aimed at achieving a balance between transformational potential and the protection of human rights and welfare through joint efforts. It is proposed to create legal and ethical norms that prioritize the safety and consistency of artificial intelligence technologies involved in the processes occurring in the metaverse. Practical significance: the conclusions and proposed solutions to the legal problems of personhood and liability can become the basis for revising the concept of legal personality, developing reliable mechanisms of responsibility and accountability, as well as ensuring the protection of human rights and values in the face of increasingly powerful entities based on artificial intelligence. This is associated with the formation and improvement of the legal landscape of process management and overcoming risks in the socially oriented and inclusive ecosystem of the metaverse.