Neil Richards

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Neil Richards is a legal scholar whose work sits at the critical intersection of law, technology, and emerging artificial intelligence systems. Best known for his influential contributions to robot law and digital governance, Richards has tackled one of the most pressing jurisprudential questions of our era: how existing and future legal frameworks should adapt to accommodate increasingly sophisticated robotic and autonomous technologies. His seminal paper, "How Should the Law Think About Robots?" — published in both 2013 and refined in a 2016 version that has accumulated 64 citations — challenges legal theorists and policymakers to move beyond science-fiction-inspired anxieties and engage seriously with the real-world regulatory implications of mature robotic systems. Rather than treating robots as either dystopian threats or novelties, Richards advocates for thoughtful, principled legal reasoning that keeps pace with technological development. His cumulative citation record reflects a growing scholarly community grappling with questions he helped bring into mainstream legal discourse. For students and researchers navigating the rapidly evolving fields of technology law, AI ethics, and digital policy, Richards' work provides an essential intellectual foundation for understanding how law must evolve alongside the machines increasingly embedded in everyday life.