The Legal and Ethical Challenges of Using Artificial Intelligence in Algeria

Abstract

This study explores the legal and ethical problems arising from the integration of artificial intelligence technologies into the administrative and public-service systems of Algeria. It asks how far the country's existing legislative arsenal and its rules of digital ethics can absorb the accelerating development of intelligent systems, and assesses the role of the existing digital infrastructure in securing that transition. The paper adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology: the descriptive component inventories the relevant legal instruments and the available technical capacity, while the analytical component performs a gap analysis of whether texts drafted for classical digitisation can accommodate concepts such as the legal personality of a robot or liability for an algorithmic act, and subjects current digital administrative practice to critique against international ethical standards of transparency, fairness and non-discrimination. The study concludes that there is a clear legislative gap in the attribution of legal responsibility for algorithmic acts, particularly under the personal data protection legislation, because Algerian civil and criminal liability alike presuppose a discerning, willing human author whom an autonomous and opaque system does not supply. It further finds that the digital infrastructure, and specifically data centres and the national cloud, is the cornerstone of digital sovereignty and of ethical privacy, provided it is reinforced by an advanced cybersecurity framework and by reduced dependence on closed foreign platforms. The study recommends the drafting of a dedicated national legal framework and ethical charter for artificial intelligence, balancing technological innovation against the protection of the fundamental rights of the Algerian citizen.