法庭中的机器人：人形机器人出庭作证对缓和证人出庭难的启示

摘要：聊天机器人技术的实时交互性和高度自主性特征使得人形机器人能够出现于庭并回答法官询问，且该当庭陈述具有难以预测性，以及该陈述的可靠性具有不确定性，这引发了法官能否像采纳人类证人证言一样采纳人形机器人陈述的问题。如果人形机器人可以代替人类证人出庭作证，似乎可以缓和证人出庭难的问题。然而，基于美德司法理论，人形机器人不能与人类构建社会关系且无法承担责任，法官无法从人形机器人的陈述中获得正当信念，法官基于该陈述所作出的断言不具有正当性。由于对人形机器人负责的主体难以预测到法官询问以及人形机器人陈述的内容，对人形机器人应当出庭作证的要求会间接促使这些主体出庭作证，从而缓和证人出庭难的顽疾。

Abstract: The real-time interactivity and autonomy of chatbot technology enable humanoid robots to appear in court and respond to judges’ inquiries. Nevertheless, the unpredictability and uncertain reliability of their statements raise the question of whether judges can accept the humanoid robot testimony in the same way as that of a human witness. If humanoid robots were allowed to testify in place of human witnesses, it would appear to significantly reduce the difficulty of securing witness attendance in court proceedings. However, according to the theory of virtue jurisprudence, humanoid robots are incapable of establishing social relationships or assuming legal responsibility. As a result, judges cannot derive justified beliefs from the statements generated by humanoid robot. Any judicial assertions based on such statements would lack justification. Moreover, since humans responsible for the humanoid robot cannot predict the content of the judge’s inquiries or the robot’s responses, requiring humanoid robots to testify may indirectly motivate those humans to appear in court themselves, mitigating the persistent challenge of securing witness attendance in court.