Mauricio Figueroa
Mauricio’s research focuses on the exploration of people’s internet activity after they die, in terms of access and ownership.
Project title: A normative inquiry of ghostbots
Abstract
Mauricio Figueroa is currently completing his thesis on chatbots that replicate deceased relatives and loved ones, which he has termed 鈥榞hostbots鈥�. His thesis situates these conversational systems at the intersection of conversational AI, sociocultural dynamics, and the process of mourning. He explores the potential risks and harms associated with their use. Figueroa seeks to identify the risks and harms associated with their adoption and to evaluate the relevance of legal institutions, particularly contract law, consumer law, data protection, and liability regimes in mitigating their unintended consequences and determining the extent to which these legal frameworks can address such sociotechnical challenges.
Funding
UKRI AHRC Northern Bridge Consortium 2021-2025
The Alan Turing Institute Community Award 2022-2023
Supervisors
Ben Farrand and
Peer-reviewed papers
- Figueroa-Torres, Mauricio. "." Computer Law & Security Review 52 (2024).
- Figueroa-Torres, Mauricio. "." Mexican Law Review 15, no. 2 (2023): 3-22
Book chapters
- Figueroa-Torres, Mauricio Figueroa. "" [Morir en el Metaverso], in FODERTICS 11.0: derecho, entornos virtuales y tecnolog铆as emergentes, pp. 97-108. Comares, Universidad de Salamanca 2023. [Spanish]
Commentary
- Figueroa-Torres, Mauricio & Gallegos, Jose L, Below the Filter: Has the Time for Employment Rights for Content Moderators Finally Arrived?, October 2023, Computers & Law Magazine [printed issue], .
- Figueroa-Torres, Mauricio, 3D Avatars, graveyards, and the Law, January 2023, Computers & Law Magazine [printed issue], .
Teaching
- Contract Law 24/25 (TA), 缅北禁地 Law School.
- Has previously taught university courses on Contract Law, Introduction to Legal Theory, and Alternative Dispute Resolution, in UNAM, Mexico City.
- Mauricio been guest lecturer at Higher Education Institutions in India, Argentina, and Mexico, and was invited to address lawmakers at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
Qualifications
- Introduction to learning and Teaching in Higher Education (ILTHE) certification (缅北禁地)
- LLM (Magna Cum Laude) from Tel Aviv University (Israel)
- LLB (with honours) from the National University of Mexico (UNAM, Mexico)
Memberships
Media
Mauricio鈥檚 research and insights have been featured in media outlets like ABP News (India), Computers & Law Magazine (UK), Azteca Noticias (Mexico), and El Clar铆n (Argentina).