数字遗产继承的法律困境与人工智能赋能的制度重构

Legal Dilemmas in Digital Inheritance and Institutional Reconstruction Empowered by Artificial Intelligence

摘要: 随着数字化生活成为人们的常态，数字遗产继承问题已从边缘演化为亟待解决的法律与社会难题。数字遗产存在法律定义不明确、价值难以评估、平台规则约束、隐私保护与继承权利存在冲突等问题，证明传统继承制度已经跟不上数字时代的发展。人工智能技术的不断进步，为解决这些难题提供了新的手段。本文将系统分析数字遗产继承面临的法律困境，构建一套以“尊重被继承人意愿”为核心、以“分类管理”与“人机配合”为实施路径、依靠人工智能提供支持的制度体系。该体系通过遗嘱认证、价值评估和平台协作，努力在保护逝者、继承人和平台找到平衡，推动数字继承法律秩序的现代化发展。

Abstract: As digital life becomes increasingly ubiquitous, the issue of digital inheritance has shifted from a peripheral concern to an urgent legal and societal challenge demanding immediate attention. Key difficulties—including the absence of a clear legal definition, the complexity of valuing digital assets, restrictive platform terms of service, and tensions between privacy protection and heirs’ inheritance rights—demonstrate that traditional inheritance frameworks are ill-equipped to keep pace with the realities of the digital age. At the same time, rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology offer novel, scalable tools for addressing these challenges. This article systematically examines the legal predicaments confronting digital inheritance and proposes a comprehensive governance framework centered on “respecting the decedent’s testamentary intent”, implemented through two interlocking pathways: “categorized management” and “human-machine collaboration”, both underpinned by AI-enabled capabilities. By integrating AI-assisted will authentication, dynamic value assessment, and structured platform cooperation, this framework seeks to strike a principled balance among the interests of the deceased, heirs, and digital platforms—thereby advancing the modernization of the legal order governing digital inheritance.