Legal Aspect on Automated Contract in European Union

Authors

  • Veena Anusornsena School of Law, University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce

Keywords:

Automated Contract, Electronic Transactions, Unexpected Actions

Abstract

In today's digital era, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has played a pivotal role in almost every aspect of human daily life. In the context of contracting, AI has been integrated into the contract formation process, beginning with automated offers and acceptances. These automated contracts are considered to establish legally binding effects as electronic transactions. However, there is a challenge of using automated contracts.  Unexpected actions possibly occur resulting the challenge of the intent of parties. This article focuses on studying the relevant laws and guidelines for automated contracts within the legal framework of the European Union.

References

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Published

2026-06-29

How to Cite

Anusornsena, V. (2026). Legal Aspect on Automated Contract in European Union. UTCC Law Journal, 18(1), 21–33. retrieved from https://so20.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/utcclawjo/article/view/750

Issue

Section

Academic Article