A LEGISLATIVE REFORM PROPOSAL ON THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are increasingly used in international trade to automate the formation, performance, pricing, and risk assessment of cross-border contracts. In November 2025, the Senate of the Republic of Uzbekistan approved a law establishing a legal definition of AI and general rules for its use, while a parallel initiative created a tax-free zone for AI and data-centre projects in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. However, the country’s private-law framework – the Civil Code and the 2022 Law “On Electronic Commerce” – still lacks clear rules on AI-mediated transactions, the legal effect of autonomous digital agents, and the allocation of liability for AI-caused harm. This project proposes a targeted package of amendments: (1) introducing into the Civil Code the category of “transactions concluded with the use of artificial intelligence” and recognising autonomous digital expressions of will under defined conditions; (2) establishing proportionate, distributed liability among the developer, operator, and user of an AI system; and (3) amending the Law “On Electronic Commerce” to require transparency and the logging of AI-driven decisions. The proposals draw on international practice – the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce, and OECD/WTO assessments of AI’s effect on trade – and are intended to reduce legal uncertainty, strengthen investor confidence, and align Uzbekistan’s private-law regime with the country’s emerging public AI policy and its Karakalpakstan tax incentive regime.