Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Monday said that the judiciary of the future has nothing to fear from artificial intelligence (AI) which cannot replace judicial reasoning but acts as an enabler to make better decisions.
Speaking at the fourth Ashok Desai Memorial Lecture in Delhi, the CJI said: “AI will certainly not replace judicial reasoning but its role will become formidable in sifting through vast amounts of material, identifying relevant precedents, and providing structured insights, enabling judges to devote their attention to the interpretation, fairness and human consequences of their decisions. In this sense, AI will act as an enabler of better governance, not a substitute for it.”
While a degree of apprehension about AI is understandable, the CGI said: “It is equally important to recognize that we stand on the threshold of a generational shift. With careful design and appropriate regulatory frameworks, these systems can serve as powerful enablers, especially in fields burdened with repetitive, time-consuming tasks that do not require the precise judgment that only the human mind can provide.”
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Sharing his views on ‘Reimagining Justice: Indian Judiciary 50 Years On’, the CJI said: “The Indian judiciary of 2076 will not be defined just by the technologies it adopts or the structures it builds. Rather, it will be defined by its ability to remain anchored in constitutional values while adapting to a world that is changing in ways we are only beginning to understand.”
“Justice cannot be measured solely by orders issued or decrees issued,” he said. “Its true power lies in the trust it arouses in the ordinary citizen.” Looking to the future, although he expects the law to become more sophisticated in its methods, he said: “It must remain keenly attentive to the human condition. Efficiency should not come at the expense of compassion, and creativity should not replace accessibility.”
While forecasting the future of the judiciary, the CJI detailed the roadmap for future cases and how judges should be equipped to handle them. “The very idea of a judge is going to undergo a massive transformation,” he said, assuming questions of synthetic biology, deep-sea mining, or conflicts between entities in virtual space might require a future judge to be a “very nuanced, interdisciplinary thinker.”
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The future of financial transactions may increasingly occur within decentralized ecosystems, governed not by national borders but by encrypted protocols, and climate concerns will not remain within the realm of policy alone, the CJI said. He added that the increasing use of drones and automated vehicles in delivering goods will challenge the enforcement of traditional laws.
“The character of justice must evolve,” the CJI said, adding: “Our endeavor must be to nurture a justice system that, fifty years from now, is more accessible, more responsive and more closely integrated into the lives of citizens.”
