CRIMINAL-LAW CHARACTERIZATION OF CYBERCRIMES COMMITTED THROUGH THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69635/mssl.2026.2.2.39Keywords:
Cybercrimes, Artificial Intelligence, Criminal-Law Characterization, Cybercrime, Classification of Criminal Offenses, Information Technologies, Cyberspace, Criminal Liability, Digital Evidence, Information SecurityAbstract
The article examines the criminal-law characterization of cybercrimes committed through the use of artificial intelligence technologies, taking into account current trends in the digitalization of social relations and the transformation of criminal activity within the information environment. It is substantiated that the rapid development of artificial intelligence gives rise not only to new opportunities for automation, data processing, and increasing the efficiency of digital processes, but also to additional criminogenic risks associated with the use of such technologies for the commission of socially dangerous acts in cyberspace. Particular attention is paid to the fact that the use of artificial intelligence in the mechanism of cybercrime commission complicates the process of detecting, documenting, and properly assessing unlawful conduct under criminal law.
The article analyzes general approaches to understanding cybercrime as a distinct form of criminal activity that encroaches upon the security of information systems, computer networks, electronic communications, and the related social relations. Special attention is given to the impact of artificial intelligence on the modification of traditional methods of committing cybercrimes, in particular through the automation of unauthorized interference, the concealment of criminal activity, the creation of malicious software, the manipulation of information, and the imitation of human digital behavior. It is determined that, in the context of the development of intelligent technologies, particular importance attaches to the proper classification of acts, the establishment of the form of guilt, causation, and the distinction between the use of artificial intelligence as an instrument for committing a crime and cases of its lawful application.
It is concluded that the criminal-law characterization of cybercrimes committed through the use of artificial intelligence requires comprehensive scholarly analysis in view of contemporary technological challenges, law enforcement practice, and the need to improve approaches to criminal-law response to emerging forms of criminal activity.
References
Constitution of Ukraine, No. 254k/96-VR (1996, June 28) (Ukraine) (as amended January 1, 2020). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/254к/96-вр#Text
Criminal Code of Ukraine, No. 2341-III (2001, April 5) (Ukraine) (as amended July 17, 2025). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2341-14#Text
Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, No. 4651-VI (2012, April 13) (Ukraine) (as amended April 1, 2026). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/4651-17#Text
Law of Ukraine No. 2163-VIII, On the Basic Principles of Ensuring Cybersecurity of Ukraine (2017, October 5) (Ukraine) (as amended October 19, 2025). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2163-19#Text
Law of Ukraine No. 2657-XII, On Information (1992, October 2) (Ukraine) (as amended January 20, 2026). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2657-12#Text
Law of Ukraine No. 80/94-VR, On Protection of Information in Information and Telecommunication Systems (1994, July 5) (Ukraine) (as amended April 20, 2025). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/80/94-вр#Text
Law of Ukraine No. 1089-IX, On Electronic Communications (2020, December 16) (Ukraine) (as amended February 27, 2026). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1089-20#Text
Council of Europe. (2001, November 23). Convention on Cybercrime (in force for Ukraine September 7, 2005). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/994_575#Text
European Parliament and Council of the European Union. (2024, June 13). Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence Act).
Council of Europe. (2024, September 5). Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (CETS No. 225).
Kostenko, O. A. (Ed.). (2026). Artificial intelligence, modern technologies and law in Ukraine: Monograph [Electronic edition]. Phoenix.
Radutnyi, O. E. (2017). Criminal liability of artificial intelligence. Information and Law, 2(21), 124–132. https://doi.org/10.37750/2616-6798.2017.2(21).273064
Kostenko, O., Zhuravlov, D., Dniprov, O., & Korotiuk, O. (2023). Metaverse: Model criminal code. Baltic Journal of Economic Studies, 9(4), 134–147. https://doi.org/10.30525/2256-0742/2023-9-4-134-147
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Viktoriya Liubavina, Bogdan Krymchanin (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles are published as open access and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This means that authors retain the copyright to the content of their articles. Under the CC BY 4.0 license, the content can be copied, adapted, displayed, distributed, republished, or otherwise reused for any purpose, including commercial use, provided that proper attribution is given to the original authors.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4715-1749
