3rd Czecho-Slovak Symposium on the Challenges of AI for Administrative Law: A Fleet of Autonomous Vehicles on the Horizon!

(Prague, 11 March 2026)

Abstract

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation technologies is increasingly impacting the functioning of public administration in European countries. In recent years, considerable attention has been paid not only to the use of AI in administrative decision-making, but also to the broader impact of intelligent and autonomous systems on legal regulation and the administrative law system. One of the most prominent technological trends currently under active discussion is the development of autonomous vehicles, which represent an important step towards the wider integration of AI technologies into everyday social and economic life. In this regard, European states, in particular the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, are gradually addressing the legal, ethical and administrative challenges associated with the introduction of such technologies.

Autonomous vehicles, often described as the “fleet on the horizon”, raise a wide range of regulatory issues for public authorities. These include, in particular, issues of liability, safety, personal data protection, administrative oversight, and the role of automated systems in management decision-making in transport regulation. Consequently, administrative law must adapt existing legal mechanisms to ensure that the introduction of AI-based mobility systems complies with fundamental legal principles, including transparency, accountability, the protection of human rights, and the safeguarding of the public interest. At the same time, public authorities must strike a balance between supporting technological innovation and ensuring adequate legal safeguards.

These developments are taking place in parallel with broader European initiatives to regulate AI technologies, including the establishment of comprehensive legal frameworks and a greater focus on the principles of safe, ethical and human-centred use of AI. In this context, academics and practitioners are actively exploring how administrative law should respond to new technological realities and what limits should be set on the use of automated systems in the exercise of public authority.