AI use has potential to revolutionise judicial system: CJI D Y Chandrachud | India News - Times of India
Source: The Times of India
Author: Amit Anand Choudhary
NEW DELHI: Pitching for embracing Artificial Intelligence and to use it to the fullest in the judicial system, Chief Justice of India on Saturday said that use of AI has the potential to revolutionise judicial functioning and to expedite and streamline the justice delivery system.
Speaking at the Indo-Singapore judicial conference, Justice D Y Chandrachud said that it was time to adapt to the technology and get out of the status quo approach.But he also emphasised that efforts must be made to prevent misuse of AI and ensure that its use did not result in further deepening the divide between haves and have nots and perpetuation of "existing inequalities within the legal system".
He said that the apex court has already introduced AI-driven live transcription service in Hindi and 18 regional languages to make legal information accessible to people across the country.
"This proves that AI has the potential to enhance the efficiency of court proceedings by automating routine tasks such as document review, case management, and scheduling. By leveraging AI-powered tools, courts can streamline administrative processes, reduce paperwork, and expedite the resolution of legal disputes. This not only saves time and resources but also improves access to justice by reducing delays and backlogs in the court system," the CJI said.
"The advancement of technology and AI is inevitable. It holds the potential to significantly change professions and make service delivery more accessible to people. In the field of law, this translates to the potential for AI to expedite and streamline justice delivery. The era of maintaining the status quo is behind us; it is time to embrace evolution within our profession and explore how we can harness the processing power of technology to its fullest within our institutions," he said.
Referring to instances where many courts in foreign jurisdictions tried using AI in the adjudication process and also Punjab & Haryana high court, which had once sought inputs from ChatGPT but did not rely upon them, the CJI said that these examples illustrate that use of AI in court adjudication cannot be avoided but its use presented both opportunities and challenges that warranted nuanced deliberation. Referring to facial recognition technology (FRT), he said that it was a prime example of high-risk AI, given its inherently intrusive nature and potential for misuse.
"The poor may find themselves relegated to inferior AI-driven assistance, while only affluent individuals or high-end law firms can effectively harness the capabilities of legal AI. Such a scenario risks widening the justice gap and perpetuating existing inequalities within the legal system," he said.