人工受托人：人工智能时代重新定义公司治理

设想人工智能实体作为公司治理中的投票成员承担信托责任，这一概念被称为“人工信托人”。这种创新方法解决了人类董事和现有改革的局限性，提供公正的决策并增强客观性。人工受托人具有彻底改变公司治理的潜力，需要在责任和道德考虑之间取得平衡。

Artificial Fiduciaries: Redefining Corporate Governance in the Age of AI

人工受托人：人工智能时代重新定义公司治理

The future of corporate governance stands on the cusp of a transformative shift as artificial intelligence (AI) enters the boardroom not as a mere observer, but as a voting member bearing fiduciary obligations. This seismic change, envisioned in the groundbreaking publication "Artificial Fiduciaries," portends significant ramifications for the governance landscape.

随着人工智能（AI）进入董事会，不再只是作为观察者，而是作为承担信托义务的投票成员，公司治理的未来正处于变革的风口浪尖。开创性出版物《人工信托》中设想的这一巨大变化预示着治理格局的重大影响。

The Birth of Artificial Fiduciaries

人工信托人的诞生

Corporate governance has long grappled with the elusive pursuit of truly independent directors. Existing reforms, such as term limits and external audits, have fallen short of achieving absolute objectivity. The advent of AI, as the study contends, presents a novel solution in the form of "artificial fiduciaries."

长期以来，公司治理一直在努力解决对真正独立董事的难以捉摸的追求。现有的改革，例如任期限制和外部审计，未能实现绝对客观。正如该研究认为，人工智能的出现以“人工受托人”的形式提出了一种新颖的解决方案。

Expanding upon the concept of Board Service Providers (BSPs), which currently assist in handling board functions, artificial fiduciaries offer the potential for genuine independence and enhanced decision-making processes. Unlike BSPs, which remain subject to human biases and technological constraints, AI fiduciaries possess the unique ability to transcend these limitations.

董事会服务提供商 (BSP) 目前协助处理董事会职能，对董事会服务提供商 (BSP) 的概念进行扩展，人工信托提供了真正独立性和增强决策流程的潜力。与仍然受到人类偏见和技术限制的 BSP 不同，AI 受托人拥有超越这些限制的独特能力。

They can serve as impartial mediators, fostering transparency and potentially democratizing corporate governance on a global scale. However, a fundamental question arises: Can AI truly fulfill the demanding responsibilities of a fiduciary?

他们可以充当公正的调解人，促进透明度并有可能在全球范围内实现公司治理的民主化。然而，一个基本问题出现了：人工智能能否真正履行受托人的艰巨职责？

Legal Considerations and the Role of AI

法律考虑和人工智能的作用

Legal scholars, such as Eugene Volokh, have raised concerns that compassionate judgment plays a vital role in fiduciary decision-making, a capacity that AI may lack. The study acknowledges this limitation, positing that the inquiry should not focus on AI's exact replication of human abilities but rather its capacity to achieve the objectives of fiduciary duty.

尤金·沃洛克等法律学者担心，富有同情心的判断在信托决策中发挥着至关重要的作用，而人工智能可能缺乏这种能力。该研究承认这一局限性，认为调查不应关注人工智能对人类能力的精确复制，而应关注其实现信托义务目标的能力。

The study envisions artificial fiduciaries fulfilling their fiduciary obligations to the company and its investors as objective outside directors. Employing AI alongside human counterparts is expected to yield optimal outcomes, albeit with distinct roles given the algorithmic nature of artificial fiduciaries. The essay emphasizes the need for flexibility while maintaining a high ethical standard, outlining how the duties of care and loyalty can be extended to AI fiduciaries.

该研究设想人工受托人作为客观外部董事履行对公司及其投资者的信托义务。将人工智能与人类同行一起使用预计会产生最佳结果，尽管考虑到人工受托人的算法性质，人工智能的作用有所不同。该文章强调了灵活性的必要性，同时保持较高的道德标准，概述了如何将谨慎和忠诚的义务扩展到人工智能受托人。

Addressing Potential Challenges

应对潜在挑战

The study does not shy away from acknowledging potential pitfalls. It meticulously examines issues such as bias, transparency (the "black box" problem), safety concerns, and the potential for overly intelligent directors to dominate discussions. To mitigate these risks, the report proposes ethical frameworks, transparency policies, and rigorous standards for AI decision-making procedures. This discourse significantly contributes to the ongoing debate on algorithmic fairness in AI development.

这项研究并不回避承认潜在的陷阱。它仔细审查了偏见、透明度（“黑匣子”问题）、安全问题以及过于聪明的董事主导讨论的可能性等问题。为了减轻这些风险，报告提出了人工智能决策程序的道德框架、透明度政策和严格标准。这一论述极大地促进了人工智能开发中算法公平性的持续争论。

The essay further cautions against viewing AI solely as a tool. Artificial fiduciaries, it argues, should possess autonomous decision-making capabilities, unconstrained by pre-programmed system limitations. To address social capital constraints and complex ethical dilemmas, the study advocates for a collaborative paradigm where human and artificial fiduciaries work synergistically, leveraging their respective strengths. Human oversight remains essential to ensure that optimal recommendations are implemented, and AI decision-making is guided by ethical principles.

这篇文章进一步警告不要将人工智能仅仅视为一种工具。它认为，人工受托人应该拥有自主决策能力，不受预编程系统限制的约束。为了解决社会资本约束和复杂的道德困境，该研究倡导一种协作范式，让人类和人工受托人发挥各自的优势，协同工作。人类监督对于确保最佳建议得到实施仍然至关重要，并且人工智能决策以道德原则为指导。

Shaping the Future of Corporate Governance

塑造公司治理的未来

The paper concludes by exploring the transformative implications of AI integration on corporate governance. It advocates for legislative frameworks to guide the emergence of artificial fiduciaries. This research not only stimulates academic discourse but also serves as a call to action for lawmakers to adapt existing laws, paving the way for the ethical adoption of AI in boardroom settings.

本文最后探讨了人工智能整合对公司治理的变革性影响。它主张建立立法框架来指导人工受托人的出现。这项研究不仅激发了学术讨论，还呼吁立法者采取行动，调整现有法律，为董事会环境中道德采用人工智能铺平道路。

The fundamental question remains: Are we prepared to embrace AI as a trusted partner in corporate governance? The future of the boardroom hangs in the balance as we confront the profound implications of AI fiduciaries. As this technology evolves, so too must our understanding of fiduciary duty and the role of humans in corporate governance.

根本问题仍然是：我们是否准备好接受人工智能作为公司治理中值得信赖的合作伙伴？当我们面对人工智能信托的深远影响时，董事会的未来悬而未决。随着这项技术的发展，我们对信托责任和人类在公司治理中的作用的理解也必须如此。