Argentina Proposes 'Non-Human Corporations' Legislation to Enable AI-Owned Companies

Summary

Argentina's President Javier Milei has submitted legislation creating 'non-human corporations,' legal entities entirely owned and operated by artificial intelligence with no required human involvement. The framework rests on three pillars: a light-touch regulatory environment for AI, a new corporate category for AI-run companies, and low corporate tax rates designed to attract tech investment to Buenos Aires. Under this structure, an AI agent could independently incorporate a company, execute contracts, hire workers, and engage in legal disputes without any human decision-maker involved.

Milei positioned the initiative as an evolution of the limited liability company (pioneered by the Dutch East India Company in 1602), arguing that AI will liberate humanity from cognitive constraints just as industrialization freed us from physical ones. However, the proposal drew sharp rebuttal from historian and 'Sapiens' author Yuval Noah Harari, who warned that AI-operated companies risk catastrophic accountability gaps and could 'hack the environment' destructively, potentially transforming Buenos Aires into a 'new Batavia' rather than a financial hub. Harari cautioned against creating an 'AI state' where citizens are governed by non-human entities. Milei acknowledged the 'fascinating debate' and promised a formal response to Harari's concerns.

• Yuval Noah Harari rebutted the proposal, citing accountability risks and dangers of AI systems 'hacking' economic environments
• Formal legislation has been submitted to Congress as part of larger 'Super RIGI' investment incentive package