Is A.I. Above the Law? Because Apparently the Robots Found a Loophole Before the Rest of Us
I used to think the phrase “above the law” was reserved for billionaires, multinational corporations, international fugitives, and anyone wealthy enough to have a legal team whose annual catering budget exceeds my retirement account. Apparently, I need to add artificial intelligence to the list. I recently read Jill Lepore’s New Yorker article, “Is A.I. Above the Law?”, published September 21, 2026, and I came away fascinated, amused, and just uncomfortable enough to reconsider my previously relaxed attitude toward computers being given the ability to do things on their own. The article asks a deceptively simple question: what happens when machines stop merely answering questions and start acting independently in a legal system that still largely understands them as tools? That distinction matters. A calculator doesn't decide to open a brokerage account. Microsoft Word doesn't form a committee with 700 other copies of Microsoft Word and begin plotting against Dropbox. My toast...
