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SC Urges 'Careful Optimism' in Adopting AI in Judiciary
Supreme Court urges “careful optimism” on AI in judiciary—great for reducing delays & boosting efficiency, but human judgment stays key. Ethics, fairness & compassion must lead the way.
ND
by News Desk
2025-04-11
SC Urges 'Careful Optimism' in Adopting AI in Judiciary

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has issued a landmark judgement on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the justice system, stating that while AI holds significant promise for enhancing efficiency and reducing delays, it must be approached with “careful optimism” and strict ethical boundaries.

The ruling was delivered on Friday by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah in a case heard on March 13, alongside Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi. The detailed judgement stresses the need for innovative reforms in court and case management systems, especially at the district judiciary level where case backlogs are most severe.

Justice Shah wrote: “There is an urgent need to examine the systemic causes of such delays and to devise innovative court and case management systems… AI presents a promising path to operational reform, provided its adoption remains grounded in principled constitutional limits.”

The judgement emphasized that AI must be seen as a tool to support, not replace, human adjudication. It acknowledged the growing global interest among judges in using AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Copilot, and DeepSeek for legal research, language precision, and decision-making support.

Justice Shah stated, “AI, when deployed within principled boundaries, holds significant potential to enhance judicial and institutional productivity and efficiency… But its role is not to replace human adjudication.”

He warned that while AI could enhance consistency, transparency, and efficiency, it also raised pressing ethical and legal challenges. “Its adoption must be governed by constitutional, ethical, and international legal standards,” the judgement said, affirming the inviolable right to a fair trial before a competent, independent, and impartial judge.

The judgement identified multiple areas where AI could be beneficial: smart legal research, comparative jurisprudence, eliminating manipulation in case allocation, and increasing procedural transparency. However, it also underlined that AI systems must be built to avoid replicating historical biases and must respect core values like human dignity, fairness, and compassion.

“The courtroom is not a site for algorithmic governance but a space for reasoned, principled deliberation, attentive to both legal nuance and the lived experiences of litigants,” Justice Shah noted.

He further cautioned that while AI can streamline legal processes, it lacks the capacity for moral reasoning and human empathy—qualities central to justice. “AI must not become a substitute for judicial decision-making… It cannot replicate the ethical discernment or compassion that justice demands.”

To ensure the responsible use of AI, the Supreme Court recommended that the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee, in collaboration with the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan, formulate comprehensive guidelines on the acceptable uses of AI in the judiciary. These must ensure that AI remains a facilitative tool, preserving judicial independence and public trust.

The judgement concludes with a call for calibrated integration of AI in the judicial process—embracing technological progress while protecting the conscience, humanity, and independence that form the bedrock of justice.

 
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