Today, On 5th December, CJI Surya Kant emphasized, “Don’t Want AI to Overpower Judicial Decision Making,” stating that AI can assist but must not replace human judgment. The Supreme Court allowed withdrawal of a plea seeking regulation of AI use in the judiciary.
The Supreme Court on Friday heard a plea seeking regulation of what the petitioner described as unregulated use of artificial intelligence and machine-learning tools in the judicial system.
During the brief hearing, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant made it clear that the Court is already careful about how AI is used and that judicial decision-making will never depend on it.
CJI Surya Kant said,
“We use AI in a very conscious manner. We don’t want it to overpower judicial decision making. If you have suggestions, give them on the administrative side.”
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Appearing for the petitioner, Advocate Subhash Chandran argued that AI-generated content was leading to errors in trial courts.
He said,
“Lower courts have passed orders citing Supreme Court precedents that don’t even exist.”
In response, the CJI said judges are trained to verify citations and that the system continues to evolve.
He stated,
“Judges must cross check. This is already part of judicial training. With time, both the Bar and the Bench will learn. That does not mean we should issue directions.”
Chandran pointed out that the Supreme Court had already released a white paper on AI and that,
“The Supreme Court has a white paper, and many of our suggestions are included. Kerala High Court has also issued some guidelines.”
But the CJI repeated that the issue was not something the Court would address through judicial orders.
He said,
“We are aware, but we won’t say anything on the judicial side. You may give inputs on the administrative side.”
When the Bench showed disinclination to entertain the plea in its current form, Chandran said,
“This is non adversarial. If it’s not being entertained, I will withdraw.”
The CJI then remarked,
“Non-adversarial is fine, but this seems more for optics. Withdrawal allowed.”
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Also Read: “AI For All”: Centre Introducing Legislation To Regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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