Governing Machine Subjectivity

Abstract

This chapter examines the evolving concepts of robotic personality and legal personality of artificial intelligence, exploring how conscious or semi-conscious machines may challenge traditional legal and moral boundaries. It situates the idea of AI qualia, meaning machine based subjective experience, within philosophical theories of mind and connects it to emerging frameworks of legal personhood. The study analyzes comparative models including the European Union's electronic person proposals and Indian perspectives to assess how law might recognize intelligent systems as entities with limited rights and responsibilities. By integrating philosophy, cognitive science, and jurisprudence, the paper proposes a layered recognition model that grants moral consideration and regulatory oversight to conscious or quasi conscious AI. It concludes that acknowledging robotic personality is not about equating machines with humans, but about preparing legal systems for a future where autonomous entities may exhibit awareness, emotion, and accountability within a coherent rights based framework.