脑机接口技术运用中自然人的意思自治与责任承担

Autonomy of Will and Responsibility Assumption of Natural Person in Utilization of Brain-computer Interface Technology

脑机接口通过采集、分析和处理人类大脑中的电信号,能够将人类大脑的信号转化为计算机指令,实现人脑与外部设备之间的信息交流与控制,在医学、教育、娱乐和军事等领域拥有重要的应用前景,当前已进入临床应用阶段,距离产业化大规模运用时期已经不远。脑机接口技术通过系统与人脑的直接交互来辅助、增强、改变人脑的意识活动,自然人的意思表示与意思形成将发生质的变化,而民法典对于自然人意思自治保护的边界仍停留在受外力作用而导致意思自由的几类情形。民法应当承认“由脑到机”的脑机接口技术通过机器形式对外表达的使用者的意思表示为有效;如果系统原因导致表达不准确,则意思表示仍然有效;但应当赋予表意人以撤销权。“由机到脑”的脑机接口技术对自然人的意思形成存在实质性的影响和干预,但同样应当作为自然人的意思表示来对待。脑机接口技术运用中的责任主体是使用者而非人工智能或系统本身,应当由使用者承担违约责任、准合同责任及侵权责任。民法理论与规则对目前脑机接口技术运用中的相关问题具有解释力与可适用性,但应当思考脑机接口技术带来的一系列民法领域的新问题。

Brain-computer interface(BCI)is able to convert human brain signals into computer commands by collecting,analyzing and processing electrical signals in human brain,realizing information exchange and control between the human brain and external devices.It has important application prospects in the fields of medicine,education,entertainment,military,etc.It has entered the stage of clinical application,and is about to be put into large-scale industrialized application.BCI technology,through the direct interaction between the system and human brain,assists,enhances and changes human brain’s conscious activities,which will fundamentally change the natural person’s expression of meaning and formation of meaning,while the boundaries of the Civil Code’s protection of natural person autonomy of intentions are still limited to several situations where external forces lead to freedom of meaning.Civil law should recognize the validity of the user’s expression of meaning expressed through the machine form of BCI technology of“brain to machine”,and if the expression is inaccurate due to systematic reason,the expression of meaning is still valid,but the right of revocation should be given to the expressive person.BCI technology of“machine to brain”has substantial influence and intervention on the formation of the meaning of natural person,but should also be treated as the meaning of natural person.The subject of liability in the application of BCI technology is the user rather than the AI or the system itself;therefore,the user should bear the responsibility for breach of contract,quasi-contractual liability and tort liability.The current civil law theories and rules have explanatory power and applicability to the current issues related to the application of BCI technology,but new issues in the field of civil law brought about by brain-computer interface technology should be considered.