The Italian legal system is based on the principle that the ship is liable for collision if there is an intentional or negligent behavior of the responsible sub- ject, unless he can provide evidence of fortuitous event or force majeure. The criterion of liability based on fault is to be considered valid, also in relation to an unmanned ship, if and until the subject who has assumed the exercise of the ship can be identified. The use of artificial intelligence in the conduct of an unmanned ship, on the other hand, poses further problems, still unexplored, to the extent that it acts according to mechanisms of autonomy, obtained through the use of sensors and through the exchange of data with the environ- ment in which it operates, as well as self-learning from the experience that de- rives from the interaction with the environment and the adaptation of one’s own behavior and actions to the environment.
