Legal Personality of Artificial Intelligence: Doctrinal Problems, International Experience and Prospects for Regulation in Russia

The article examines one of the most relevant and debatable problems of modern law – the possibility and expediency of granting legal personality to artificial intelligence (AI) systems, including neural networks, robots, and hypothetical future systems (quantum supercomputers). The relevance of the topic is due to the rapid penetration of AI into all spheres of public life and the challenges it poses to traditional legal institutions. The purpose of the study is a comprehensive analysis of the theoretical-methodological, metaphysical, and practical aspects of AI legal personality, examination of existing approaches in Russian and foreign legislation, legal doctrine, and law enforcement practice, as well as developing proposals for determining the optimal legal status of AI and harmonizing its interaction with humans. The methodological basis includes general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, systemic approach) and specific scientific methods (comparative legal, formal legal, historical legal). The study analyzes the key attributes of a legal subject (consciousness, will, autonomy, ability to bear responsibility) and their (in)applicability to current and future AI systems. Main doctrinal concepts (“electronic person,” AI as an object of law, AI as a quasi-subject) are considered. Legislative initiatives and AI development strategies in Russia, the EU, the USA, China, Japan are analyzed. The lack of consensus on AI legal personality and the predominance of an approach based on human responsibility (developer, owner, operator) are identified. Alternative regulatory mechanisms (special registration of autonomous systems, modification of liability institutions) aimed at solving practical problems without granting AI full legal personality are proposed. The need for international cooperation to harmonize approaches is substantiated. The conclusion is drawn about the prematurity and groundlessness of granting AI the status of a legal subject at the current stage of technological development, and directions for further research are suggested.

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