人工智能“发明人”资格认定的国际比较与启示

International Comparison and Inspiration on the Qualification of“Inventors”of Artificial Intelligence

ChatGPT等生成式人工智能的出现,推动人工智能自主发明创造成为现实。“DABUS”人工智能发明家计划是由美国科学家向全球专利申请制度发起的一场大型法律实验活动,在没有人类发明人的情况下寻求人工智能生成物的专利保护,旨在促进有关生成式人工智能在知识产权领域的应用。世界各国或地区行政机关和司法机关陆续对“DABUS”平行申请案作出了决定或裁判。其中澳大利亚、英国、德国的行政机关与司法机关对人工智能可否作为发明人存在不同程度的分歧,表现为对现行专利制度的不同理解。分歧之原因为创造性思维是事实判断抑或价值判断的理念冲突,“依法行政”与“法官造法”的制度差异等。“DABUS”人工智能发明也向我国知识产权局提出申请,面对越来越多的人工智能发明专利申请,我国需要做好国际PCT程序和国内审查程序的统一对接,同时出台人工智能发明的专利申请审查指南。未来需加快构建人工智能生成物的专利保护规则,服务国家知识产权强国战略。

The emergence of generative AI,such as ChatGPT,has made autonomous Al invention a reality.The“DABUS”Artificial Inteligence Inventor Program is a large-scale legal experiment initiated by U.S.scientists in the global patent application system to seek patent protection for Al-generated products in the absence of a human inventor,with the aim of promoting the application of generative Al in the field of intellectual property.Administrative and judicial authorities in various countries and regions around the world have successively issued decisions or rulings on the“DABUS”parallel application cases.Among them,the administrative organs and judicial organs of Australia,the United Kingdom and Germany have different degrees of disagreement on whether artificial intelligence can be regarded as an inventor,which is manifested in the different understanding of the existing patent system.The reason for the disagreement is the conceptual conflict of whether creative thinking is a factual judgment or a value judgment,and the systematic difference between“administration according to law”and“judge-made law”.The“DABUS”AI invention has also applied to China's Intellectual Property Office.In the face of more and more patent applications for AI inventions,China needs to do a good job of aligning the international PCT procedure with the domestic examination procedure,and at the same time,introduce guidelines for examining patent applications for Al inventions.In the future,we need to accelerate the construction of patent protection rules for Al generators to serve the national strategy of strengthening intellectual property rights.