CJI Surya Kant said Artificial Intelligence should support the judiciary by reducing delays and handling data, but must not replace judges in decision-making. He stressed that the final judgment must always remain in human hands to protect judicial independence and accountability.
Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant on Saturday (March 21) said that Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be used in the judicial system carefully so that it supports the judiciary but does not replace the role of judges. He made this statement while inaugurating a one-day seminar on “Artificial Intelligence-Prevention and Resolution of Disputes” held at the Karnataka Judicial Academy.
The seminar was organised in collaboration with the UIA India Chapter, Bar Association of India and the National Law School of India University.
The Chief Justice explained that technology is growing very fast and the judiciary must adapt to it, but in a balanced and careful manner. He said that AI can be very useful for courts, especially in handling large amounts of data, managing records, identifying patterns in cases, and reducing procedural delays that often slow down the justice delivery system. At the same time, he made it very clear that AI should not be allowed to take over the actual decision-making role of judges.
He said,
”AI should assist in handling large volumes of data and records, identifying patterns, and reducing procedural delays. However, it must not encroach upon the core judicial function of delivering judgments,”
highlighting that the main responsibility of deciding cases must always remain with judges.
The Chief Justice also warned that if AI is allowed to dominate judicial decision-making, it may create serious concerns regarding transparency and accountability in the justice system. According to him, the public must always have confidence that judgments are delivered by human judges who apply legal reasoning, experience and independent thinking. He therefore stressed the importance of keeping the final decision-making power with judges.
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He said,
”The final stage of the judicial process, pronouncement of judgments, must remain firmly in human hands,”
and further explained that judges must use their reasoning, experience and analytical abilities while delivering verdicts, and technology should only support them, not replace them.
Emphasising that technology should only act as an assistant, the Chief Justice said that AI should be used as a support system that helps judges and lawyers, but the control and direction must always remain with human intelligence and judicial mind.
He said, ”AI should function only as a tool or pathway, while the direction must always be determined by human intellect,” making it clear that AI should guide processes but not control outcomes.
Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru also spoke at the event and shared his views on the growing use of AI in the judiciary. He raised an important question about the future role of AI, asking whether AI will continue to remain a tool that helps judges or whether it may slowly become a substitute that reduces the role of judges in the justice system.
He also spoke about both the benefits and risks of AI. He explained that AI has the potential to help in predictive analysis of disputes, which means it can help understand case trends and possible outcomes based on past data. He also said that AI-supported online dispute resolution platforms can help in faster and more cost-effective disposal of cases, which can reduce the burden on courts and make justice more accessible to people.
At the same time, he stressed that proper safeguards are necessary while using AI in the judiciary. He said that judicial independence, transparency and legality must always remain the most important principles, and the use of AI must be controlled by clear rules and guidelines so that the justice system is not compromised.
Bar Association of India President Prashant Kumar also spoke at the seminar and highlighted one of the major benefits of AI in the legal field. He said that AI has made it possible to quickly translate court judgments into local languages, which helps people in rural areas understand court decisions more easily and also helps lawyers communicate better with their clients.
Overall, the seminar focused on the balanced use of Artificial Intelligence in the judicial system, where technology can improve efficiency, reduce delays and increase access to justice, but the power to decide cases must always remain with human judges. The discussion made it clear that AI can support the judiciary, but it cannot replace judicial thinking, reasoning and decision-making, which are the foundation of the justice delivery system.
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