The Doctrine of Changed Circumstances and the Challenges of Smart Contract Adaptability

The rapid technological development over the last three decades has profoundly influenced not only our everyday lives but also the field of contract law. A revolution was anticipated when blockchain technology, which, among other things, facilitates the conclusion of smart contracts, gained broader recognition. Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a central topic of professional and scholarly debate, enabling machines and devices to emulate human intelligence in the way they think, learn, make decisions autonomously, and solve practical and legal problems. In this chapter, the author examines trends in contemporary legal theory and jurisprudence in European countries regarding the judicial adaptability of contracts under changed circumstances and explores the possibility of integrating AI into smart contracts. The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the potential of AI to enhance the practical utility of smart contracts by enabling their autonomous adaptability to changed circumstances.