I assume the same as if the car owner put a brick on the gas pedal and there was no driver when it had an accident

Well that will depend on your local laws, but to my knowledge except for certain authorised pilot programs all cars on the road must have a driver.

Where I live if you are in the driver’s seat no matter if you were actually actively driving you are considered to be the driver. This has been well established here in drink-driving cases, but you’d have to ask a lawyer for your area.