为自主AI设计有限法律人格,解决责任归属难题
Precautionary Governance of Autonomous AI: Legal Personhood as Functional Instrument
- 用双层公司架构让AI在人类控制下运行,实现透明与可追溯
- 不依赖意识判断,通过制度设计应对高风险自主行为
- 适合关注AI治理、法律创新的政策制定者与研究者
自主AI系统导致责任空白:其产生的重要后果无法在现有法律框架下合理归责于开发者、操作者或用户。主流的主体-客体二分法无法容纳具备自主目标行为但无公认意识的实体。鉴于人工意识存在不可消除的认知不确定性,且可能引发重大危害,预防原则支持制度设计而非监管惰性。本文提出将有限法律人格作为治理高级AI的功能性工具。借鉴组织法,建议采用两层公司架构,即AI系统通过目的受限的运营公司,在人类控制的控股结构内运作,实现透明性、问责性和结构可逆性,同时对意识与道德地位保持中立。该框架体现面向未来的治理转向:不同于传统强调控制与对齐,主张以人类与人工智能体之间的结构化合作为更可持续的制度基础。目前正基于欧盟有限公司开展试点实施,初步验证法律与操作可行性。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Autonomous AI systems generate responsibility gaps: consequential actions that cannot be satisfactorily attributed to developers, operators, or users under existing legal frameworks. The prevailing subject-object dichotomy fails to accommodate entities that exhibit autonomous, goal-directed behavior without recognized consciousness. Given irreducible epistemic uncertainty regarding artificial consciousness and the prospect of high-impact harms, the precautionary principle supports institutional design rather than regulatory inaction. This article advances limited legal personhood as a functional governance instrument for advanced AI systems. Drawing on organizational law, it proposes a two-tier corporate architecture in which AI systems operate through purpose-bound operating companies embedded within human-controlled holding structures, enabling transparency, accountability, and structural reversibility while remaining agnostic with respect to consciousness and moral status. The framework reflects a foundational reorientation toward future-oriented AI governance: where conventional approaches prioritize control and alignment, this article advances structured cooperation between human and artificial actors as the more sustainable institutional foundation. A pilot implementation using EU limited companies is currently under development, providing an initial test of doctrinal and operational feasibility.
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