Civil Liability of Businesses for Consumer Harm Caused by Artificial Intelligence Recommender Systems
Keywords:
artificial intelligence, algorithmic recommendation, business liability, civil liability, consumer harmAbstract
Artificial intelligence recommender systems have transformed relationships between businesses and consumers while creating civil liability concerns when algorithmic recommendations cause consumer harm. This study aimed to analyze the construction of business liability and formulate an attribution model for consumer losses resulting from artificial intelligence recommendations. A descriptive qualitative method with a systematic literature review approach was employed to examine 95 articles published between 2019 and 2025. Literature was retrieved from five digital databases, selected using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 protocol, and examined through descriptive and comparative analyses. The findings showed that liability attribution was strengthened by commercial deployment control, economic benefit, algorithmic risk foreseeability, consumer reliance, and evidentiary asymmetry. Harm did not always result from system malfunction but also arose when algorithms operated as designed while shaping choices and influencing consumer decisions. This study developed the Algorithmic Recommendation Business Liability model, extending civil liability through functional control and risk distribution and providing an analytical framework for resolving algorithmic consumer disputes within Indonesia's digital ecosystem.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Tri Yanuaria, Maulana Teguh Perdana, Basuki Basuki (Author)

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