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 ‘ghostbots’. 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
Peer-reviewed papers
- Figueroa-Torres, Mauricio. "Affection as a service: Ghostbots and the changing nature of mourning." Computer Law & Security Review 52 (2024).
- Figueroa-Torres, Mauricio. "Big Tech Platforms, Democracy and the Law: Global Problems, Legal Perspectives and the Mexican Experience." Mexican Law Review 15, no. 2 (2023): 3-22
Book chapters
- Figueroa-Torres, Mauricio Figueroa. "To Die in the Metaverse" [Morir en el Metaverso], in FODERTICS 11.0: derecho, entornos virtuales y tecnologías 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], online version available on the Society for Computers and Law website.
- Figueroa-Torres, Mauricio, 3D Avatars, graveyards, and the Law, January 2023, Computers & Law Magazine [printed issue], online version available on the Society for Computers and Law website.
Teaching
- Contract Law 24/25 (TA), Newcastle 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 (Newcastle University)
- LLM (Magna Cum Laude) from Tel Aviv University (Israel)
- LLB (with honours) from the National University of Mexico (UNAM, Mexico)
Memberships
- Law and Futures
- Society for the Computers & Law UK.
- The Alan Turing Institute, Enrichment Scheme.
- Research line on Artificial Intelligence & Law - LIDIA (IIJ UNAM).
Media
Mauricio’s research and insights have been featured in media outlets like ABP News (India), Computers & Law Magazine (UK), Azteca Noticias (Mexico), and El Clarín (Argentina).