CourtGPT: Can you expect a fair trial from AI lawyers and judges?
Live MintFive years ago, Estonia’s ministry of justice assigned chief data officer Ott Velsberg to develop an artificial intelligence -powered “robot judge" to address a backlog of small claims while ensuring that human judges could review and revise the AI judge's decisions. Chinese courts, meanwhile, are developing an AI system comprising "non-human judges", designed to offer comprehensive support, enhancing legal services and reinforcing justice across "smart courts" by next year. He noted that AI could soon make traditional legal research “unimaginable" without its assistance, but also warned of its risks, including privacy invasion and the risk of "dehumanizing the law." It cautions, "Even when AI output proves accurate and valuable, though, its use, particularly in the case of certain generative models, may inadvertently entangle judges in legal complexities such as copyright infringement." Gupta, on his part, suggests the integration of AI in legal practice with guidance from state bar councils and the Bar Council of India to help lawyers "responsibly and effectively" use generative AI.