人工智能“發明人”資格認定的國際比較與啟示

International Comparison and Inspiration on the Qualification of ''Inventors'' of Artificial Intelligence

ChatGPT等生成式人工智能的出現，推動人工智能自主發明創造成為現實。“DABUS”人工智能發明家計劃是由美國科學家向全球專利申請制度發起的一場大型法律實驗活動，在沒有人類發明人的情況下尋求人工智能生成物的專利保護，旨在促進有關生成式人工智能在知識產權領域的應用。世界各國或地區行政機關和司法機關陸續對“DABUS”平行申請案作出了決定或裁判。其中澳大利亞、英國、德國的行政機關與司法機關對人工智能可否作為發明人存在不同程度的分歧，表現為對現行專利制度的不同理解。分歧之原因為創造性思維是事實判斷抑或價值判斷的理念衝突，“依法行政”與“法官造法”的制度差異等。“DABUS”人工智能發明也向我國知識產權局提出申請，面對越來越多的人工智能發明專利申請，我國需要做好國際PCT序和國內審查程序的統一對接，同時出臺人工智能發明的專利申請審查指南。未來需加快構建人工智能生成物的專利保護規則，服務國家知識產權強國戰略。

The emergence of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, has made autonomous AI invention a reality. The ''DABUS'' Artificial Intelligence 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 AI 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 AI inventions. In the future, we need to accelerate the construction of patent protection rules for AI generators to serve the national strategy of strengthening intellectual property rights.