人工智慧生成發明與專利法制改革之探討

Discussion on Artificial Intelligence Generated Invention and Patent Legal Reform

本文認為當前的專利制度無法充分應對人工智慧發明產生的衝擊，必須進行改革。現行專利法制以人類為中心制定，僅承認自然人得成為專利發明人，也就是說，即使AI生成發明符合專利法上的要求，也不具有可專利性，其僅能由無實際貢獻的自然人申請專利，從而衍伸出諸多問題：包括專利申請書的不實記載、名義上發明人與實際發明人的脫鉤以及破壞了專利法上促進創新的立法目的。另外衍生的問題是，隨著人工智慧更加普遍介入發明過程，「發明所屬技術領域中具有通常知識者」（Person Having Ordinary Skill In The Art, PHOSITA）的技術水準將由人工智慧的能力決定，影響了專利要件的認定，進而影響可專利性的門檻，最終可能使不使用AI的發明人難以獲得專利。本文認為應賦予特定具自主性的AI系統電子人格的地位，使AI得作為專利法上的發明人，並明確保護AI生成發明，本文並進一步提出專利法制可能的改革方向及具體建議，期為創新發明建構更健全的法制環境。

This paper argues that the current patent system is inadequate to address the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) inventions and calls for reform. The existing patent laws are human-centric, recognizing only natural persons as patent inventors. This means that even if AI-generated inventions meet the requirements of patent law, they are not considered patentable. Instead, patents must be filed by natural persons without actual contribution, leading to various issues such as false statements in patent applications, disconnection between nominal and actual inventors, and undermining the legislative purpose of promoting innovation in patent law.
Another issue arising from this is that as AI becomes more involved in the invention process, the determination of the“Person Having Ordinary Skill In The Art”(PHOSITA) will be influenced by the capabilities of artificial intelligence, affecting the assessment of patentability criteria and potentially making it difficult for inventors not using AI to obtain patents.
The paper suggests granting specific autonomous AI systems electronic personhood status, allowing AI to be recognized as inventors in patent law and providing clear protection for AI-generated inventions. Additionally, the paper proposes possible directions for patent law reform and specific recommendations to create a more robust legal environment for innovative inventions.