Artificial Intelligence: Bane or Boon

A computer system that can perform tasks that under ordinary circumstance requires human touch and intelligence is known as Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, AI is considered a bane by some people, mainly because it may lead to loss of jobs and replacement of human beings. This poses a tangible threat to humans and their lifestyles. Along with that it also raises a lot of questions, for instance, civil or criminal liability of wrong doings. But what we are forgetting is that AI can be of greater help and will ease out various processes. Keeping the legal fraternity as the central topic in this article, AI can turn over the tiring process of reading bulky documents, logistics can be taken care off, like preparing case files or summarizing judgments etc.

AI raises a lot of questions and has its dangers too but at the same time it can give the legal fraternity a new way of functioning and a unique opportunity to explore new fields of law. Every time a new system replaces the old one, it brings new set of jobs and opportunities with itself. Inclusion of Artificial Intelligence will bring in new theories of jurisprudence to work with. It will open a scope for new field of law considering the legal ramifications of AI.

Chief Justice of India, S.A. Bobde holds the idea of introducing a system of Artificial Intelligence with the purpose of speedy justice delivery. Justice Bobde pitched for pre-litigation mediation against the backdrop of large number of pending cases in courts, observing that it is the need of the hour.

Artificial Intelligence can bring in development for smooth processing of the judiciary. Supreme Court of India has already taken a step to digitalize the system by launching its Official Multilingual Mobile Application (Can be downloaded from Google Playstore – Supreme Court of India- Official Mobile App). This app would provide authentic real-time access to Case Status, Display Board, Daily Orders, Judgments, Office Reports, Circulars and several other useful information for Lawyers, Litigants and citizens. This app will be available in English, Hindi and six regional language scripts. Supreme Court of India has also developed an AI system to make its 17 benches paperless. The software will aid the judges in accessing files, annexures to petitions and make soft notes on computers itself, which will be inaccessible to others. Furthermore, another tool was launched called SUVAS, Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software to translate judicial documents from English to nine vernacular languages — Marathi, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Malayalam and Bengali and vice-versa.

Judiciary has already taken its steps to include AI software and digitalize the system. Moreover, inclusion of this can help getting insights into legal profession within seconds reducing the significant man hours, leading to profitability of the firms and companies.  Natural Language Processing based applications can be of great boon to the legal fraternity. It can create new platforms to aid the law firms for example, automation in contract drafting, search engine optimization, E- solutions, etc. Adaptation of these technologies will thereby ease out the hectic man hours a lawyer puts in just to make sense out of a 100 pages long judgement.

Furthermore, this technology can perform data analysis. Instead of reading thousands of statistical data, AI can provide the data points from past case laws and provide judgements and precedent laws to be used by lawyers in their present cases. It can help in presenting the IP portfolios like search and registration and renewal of trademarks, copyrights, and patents.

All the facts and justifications mentioned above marks that AI will not take over humans and jobs instead it will create a new platform, bringing in new opportunities for people to dive in. It will increase the efficiency, give accurate outputs, and will lead to more productivity. Smoothing and prevention of undue delay in justice delivery is another positive key point to take into consideration.