Richmond Journal of Law and Technology

The Coldplay Couple: A Cautionary Tale

On February 27, 2026

The Coldplay Couple: A Cautionary Tale

By: Karina Chatha

This past summer, the world was locked in the drama of internet strangers with the “Coldplay Couple”. The incident occurred over a KissCam at a Coldplay concert, where the camera caught a man and a woman in an embrace.[1] However, once they realized they were on camera, they ducked and hid their faces, leading Chris Martin, Coldplay’s singer, to quip “either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy.”[2] Someone in the crowd recorded the KissCam on the Jumbotron and uploaded the video to the popular video-sharing platform, TikTok.

Born to Die: Planned Obsolescence and the Lack of Legal Recourse

By Nicholas Guy

On February 27, 2026

In Blog Posts

Born to Die: Planned Obsolescence and the Lack of Legal Recourse

By: Elena Overstreet

In 2024, technology was the largest category of consumer spending during the holiday season, and it was projected that the 2025 holiday season would be the same.[1] Spending in this area seems to increase each year, with people finding the latest phones, kindles, and Oura Rings under their Christmas trees.[2] The thrill of new devices does not come without a cost, however. By 2030, the annual volume of electronics placed on the market is estimated to have risen to 120 billion kilograms – approximately 264 billion pounds. While some progress has been made in collecting and recycling the materials used, this progress barely makes a dent in the magnitude of electronic waste being generated.[4] Yet, the trouble does not stop there.

OTA: The Government’s Favorite Tool for Acquiring Innovative Technology

By Donovan Sbiroli

On February 11, 2026

In Blog Posts

OTA: The Government’s Favorite Tool for Acquiring Innovative Technology

By: Hunter Conetta

Technological innovation has rapidly become a core feature of national security policy for the United States. The Department of Defense and armed services have prioritized the acquisition of everything from online data collection programs to AI-integrated weapons systems in order to outpace the innovation of adversaries and develop dynamic cyber capabilities. This awakening may best be exemplified in a memo issued by the Secretary of Defense, who wrote, “software-defined warfare is not a future construct, but the reality we find ourselves in today.”[1] The Secretary of Defense is not alone in his belief, as a host of executive branch and legislative officials are enacting policies and making laws to enable the expedited acquisition of software and technology.

AI and Inventorship: Navigating the Uncertain Future of Patent Law

By Donovan Sbiroli

On February 5, 2026

In Blog Posts

AI and Inventorship: Navigating the Uncertain Future of Patent Law

By: Lara Miller

The expanding role of artificial intelligence (AI) in society has been accompanied by significant concerns and unanswered questions across numerous sectors. One sector in which these questions have become particularly apparent is the patent system, where AI’s influence has begun to challenge longstanding doctrinal foundations. The patent law system was designed to provide exclusive rights to inventors for their novel, useful, and non-obvious inventions.[1] One of the primary requisites needed to obtain a patent is that the applicant must be the actual inventor of the invention that they are trying to get patented.[2] As a result of the increasing use of AI during the inventive process, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has been confronted with numerous questions and challenges about how AI-assisted inventions should be treated.

The Implications of Artificial Intelligence for Creators and the Role of the Fair Use Doctrine

By Donovan Sbiroli

On January 28, 2026

In Blog Posts

The Implications of Artificial Intelligence for Creators and the Role of the Fair Use Doctrine

By: Georgina Michelle

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an increasingly integral part of life, with many benefits that ease daily tasks.[1] These developments are viewed simultaneously as a leap forward in human innovation and ingenuity by proponents, and as a stifling of creativity by opponents.[2] On one hand, the use of AI tools can lead to greater efficiency, leaving redundant tasks to be completed on autopilot, creating space and allotting time for projects that require greater effort.[3] On the other hand, the rise of AI unleashes a host of ethical and moral dilemmas, issues regarding personal privacy, and various forms of cybercrime.[4] Among these ethical issues grows the increasing concern for protecting intellectual property, with opponents calling for the prevention of content farming by AI in order to optimize its operation.[5]

Calls for Change: How Interactive Voice Response Technology Aims to Eliminate Harmful Traditional Practices in Ethiopia

By Donovan Sbiroli

On January 28, 2026

In Blog Posts

Calls for Change: How Interactive Voice Response Technology Aims to Eliminate Harmful Traditional Practices in Ethiopia

By: Reagan Steirn

Advocacy efforts in the prevention of child marriage and female genital mutilation (“FGM”) in Ethiopia have increased with the testing and implementation of Interactive Voice Response (“IVR”) technology.[1] With 40% percent of girls married before the age of eighteen and 65% percent of women and girls aged 15-49 having undergone FGM[2], IVR technology aims to strengthen young girls’ knowledge and skill sets in the opposition of these harmful traditional practices.[3] IVR allows for the delivery of information, such as the life skills training programme, to reach girls without the need for a live agent by utilizing either pre-recorded messages or text-to-speech technology with a dual-tone multi-frequency (“DTMF”) interface.[4] While interactive in nature, IVR technology requires minimum literacy.[5] The goal of IVR is to equip adolescents with the tools needed to oppose child marriage and FGM, understand the generational impacts of these harmful traditional practices, become informed about support services for targeted individuals, and encourage increased reporting of such incidents.[6]

AI In The C-Suite: Rethinking Director Reliance Under DGCL § 141(e) In The Age of Algorithms

By Donovan Sbiroli

On January 21, 2026

In Blog Posts

AI In The C-Suite: Rethinking Director Reliance Under DGCL § 141(e) In The Age of Algorithms

By: Chelsea Marie Mojica

We now live in an Age of Algorithms where algorithmic machines are seen as “a kind of glue binding the world together through reliable pathways of mathematics and symbolic logic.”[1] With just a push of a button, artificial intelligence (“AI”) can mimic human functions, gather data and make a prediction, and generate various outputs.

Although many believe that modern AI began its development in the mid 1900s[2], AI use has significantly increased within the past few years. Notably, in 2022, a small research laboratory, famously known as OpenAI, released its first version of ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that can answer questions, develop emails, and everything in between.[4] In 2025, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman announced that “more than 800 million people use ChatGPT every week.”[5] Professionals are using AI in various ways. Among the many users are UK Judges, who have the ability to use ChatGPT as a supplement to write judgments.[6] Two lawyers, Peter LoDuca and Steven A. Schwartz, “submitted non-existent judicial opinions with fake quotes and citations created by the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT, then continued to stand by the fake opinions after judicial orders called their existence into question.”[7] As a result, the two attorneys were sanctioned and required to each pay $5,000 to the client they represented.[8]

Virtual Infidelity: Is Cheating with an AI Girlfriend Considered Adultery?

By Donovan Sbiroli

On November 28, 2025

In Blog Posts

Virtual Infidelity: Is Cheating with an AI Girlfriend Considered Adultery?

By: Carolyn Potts

Her, a film about a man who falls in love with a virtual assistant, was released in 2013.[1] When the movie came out, virtual affairs may have seemed like science fiction, but now, twelve years later, “virtual infidelity” has become a harsh reality for a growing number of couples. For many people, Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) is seen as a tool to answer questions or to manage tasks, but for some, it provides a sense of romantic companionship. Platforms generating AI girlfriends are experiencing a massive growth in popularity, with millions of users.[2] While most of these searches are initiated by young single men, many users engaging in relationships with AI chatbots are married to real life people.[3] The recent rise in AI love affairs begs the question, how do these virtual relationships factor in to divorce cases?

How Would Drones Piloted by A.I. Affect Our Fourth Amendment Rights?

By Donovan Sbiroli

On November 28, 2025

In Blog Posts

How Would Drones Piloted by A.I. Affect Our Fourth Amendment Rights?

By: Joseph Coyle

In January 2025, drone manufacturer Red Cat announced a partnership with Palladyne AI to integrate Palladyne Pilot AI software into Red Cat’s Black Widow drones.[1] These drones are designed to be able to identify, prioritize, and track targets with little to no human direction.[2] Red Cat first unveiled the Black Widow drone in 2024.[3] These drones are already in use in the United States Military.[4] The Black Widow drone is fitted with a GPS system, camera, electro-optical sensors, infrared sensors, and has a flight time of over forty-five minutes.[5]