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SSRN: Kaal says reputation-backed intelligent agents can be deterred without full legal personhood
In an October 12, 2026 SSRN preprint, Wulf A. Kaal sets aside whether intelligent agents should have legal rights and argues that agents with durable reputation records can be deterred from misconduct—and induced to accept temporary pauses—when loss of that record is costly enough under stated conditions.
Key points
- Kaal posted the article on SSRN on October 12, 2026.SSRN
- He brackets full legal-personhood debates and focuses on practical deterrence incentives.SSRN
- An agent with a reputation record, he argues, has something costly to lose.SSRN
- Under stated conditions, record-loss risk can discourage misconduct and favor temporary pauses.SSRN
- Indefinite pauses, he warns, can weaken or reverse that cooperation incentive.SSRN