The Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court has issued a ruling prohibiting the unilateral termination of employment contracts based solely on the implementation of artificial intelligence systems.

杭州市中級人民法院已發布裁定，禁止僅因導入人工智慧系統而單方面終止僱傭合約。

The litigation originated from a dispute involving a quality assurance supervisor, identified as Zhou, who was recruited in 2022 to oversee AI output and ensure compliance with privacy and legality standards. Following the integration of a large language model that automated the plaintiff's primary functions, the employer attempted to implement a demotion and a concomitant reduction in monthly remuneration from 25,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan. Upon the plaintiff's refusal to accept these altered terms, the company terminated the contract, citing organizational restructuring and a diminished requirement for personnel.

本訴訟源於一名身分為周先生/女士的品質保證主管之爭議，該員於 2022 年被聘用，負責監督 AI 輸出並確保符合隱私與合法性標準。在整合了可將原告主要職能自動化的大語言模型後，雇主企圖將其降職，並將月薪從 25,000 元調降至 15,000 元。由於原告拒絕接受這些變更後的條款，公司以組織重組及人員需求減少為由終止了合約。

Through a sequence of judicial reviews—commencing with an arbitration panel and proceeding through a district-level Primary People’s Court—the company's actions were deemed unlawful. The Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court affirmed that the grounds for termination did not constitute 'negative circumstances,' such as operational insolvency or business downsizing, nor did they satisfy the legal threshold rendering the continuation of the contract 'impossible.' Consequently, the court established that technological progression does not grant an employer the prerogative to unilaterally reduce salaries or dissolve contracts.

經過一系列的司法審查——從仲裁委員會開始，隨後進入區級基層人民法院——公司的行為被認定為違法。杭州市中級人民法院認定，終止合約的理由並不構成「消極情況」（如經營破產或業務縮減），亦不符合導致合約無法繼續履行的法律門檻。因此，法院確立了技術進步並不賦予雇主單方面減薪或解除合約的特權。

This judicial precedent emerges amidst a broader systemic tension within the Chinese state. While there is a strategic imperative to achieve technological hegemony in the global AI sector, this is countered by a domestic necessity to maintain labor market equilibrium. The prioritization of social stability is particularly acute given the current economic deceleration and the prevalence of youth unemployment, necessitating a legal framework that mitigates the disruptive effects of automation on the workforce.

此司法先例出現在中國國家更廣泛的系統性緊張局勢之中。儘管在全球 AI 領域實現技術霸權是戰略要務，但國內維持勞動力市場平衡的需求亦不容忽視。鑑於目前經濟增速放緩及青年失業率高企，優先考慮社會穩定尤為緊迫，因此需要一套法律框架來緩解自動化對勞動力產生的破壞性影響。

The court has formally restricted the use of AI automation as a legal justification for employee dismissal, emphasizing the protection of labor rights over corporate technological restructuring.

法院正式限制將 AI 自動化作為解僱員工的合法理由，強調勞工權益的保護優先於企業的技術重組。