Can AI speed up disposal of cases? Verdict awaited

MUMBAI: The Supreme Court recently unveiled a tool named SUPACE (Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court Efficiency), an Artificial Intelligence-based portal to assist judges with research. Make no mistake, it is not designed to take a decision, only to process facts and provide inputs to enable decision-making by judges. But it has opened up a debate of sorts on how much AI can be used to dispense justice.

“The core job of a judge is judging. That cannot be outsourced,’’ said former Supreme Court judge B N Srikrishna. Nuances of judging a person’s state of mind are beyond a bot, said jurists. Senior counsel Amit Desai added that AI could be used in cases of a repetitive nature that fit a strict pattern such as bouncing of cheques, civil violations or drunk driving.