US Chief Justice John Roberts urges 'caution' as AI reshapes legal field
Artificial intelligence represents a mixed blessing for the legal field, US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said in a year-end report published on Sunday, urging «caution and humility» as the evolving technology transforms how judges and lawyers go about their work.
Roberts struck an ambivalent tone in his 13-page report. He said AI had the potential to increase access to justice for indigent litigants, revolutionise legal research and assist courts in resolving cases more quickly and cheaply while also pointing to privacy concerns and the current technology's inability to replicate human discretion.
Elevate Your Tech Prowess with High-Value Skill Courses
Offering CollegeCourseWebsiteMITMIT Technology Leadership and InnovationVisitIIM KozhikodeIIMK Senior Management ProgrammeVisitIIM LucknowIIML Executive Programme in FinTech, Banking & Applied Risk ManagementVisit «I predict that human judges will be around for a while,» Roberts wrote. «But with equal confidence I predict that judicial work — particularly at the trial level — will be significantly affected by AI.»
The chief justice's commentary is his most significant discussion to date of the influence of AI on the law, and coincides with a number of lower courts contending with how best to adapt to a new technology capable of passing the bar exam but also prone to generating fictitious content, known as «hallucinations.»
Roberts emphasized that «any use of AI requires caution and humility.» He mentioned an instance where AI hallucinations had led lawyers to cite non-existent cases in court papers, which the chief justice said is «always a bad idea.» Roberts did not elaborate beyond saying the phenomenon «made headlines this year.»
Last week, for
