‘AI can assist courts, but cannot be a judge’:CJI Surya Kant says decision-making authority should remain with judges

CJI Surya Kant said on Thursday that technology should be used to improve access to justice, but artificial intelligence (AI) cannot replace judges’ legal understanding or decision-making ability. This responsibility must remain with judges. The CJI arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to attend the seventh conference of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions. The CJI said the challenge before the courts was to adopt technology while fulfilling their constitutional responsibilities. Justice Surya Kant said the Supreme Court’s approach did not limit digitisation to merely transferring existing processes to computers. Its aim was to redesign processes according to requirements. Digital transformation makes access to courts easier Justice Suryakant referred to the digital transformation of India’s judicial system. He said e-filing, virtual hearings, digital case management and the live streaming of Constitution Bench proceedings had reduced the burden of distance and expense. These steps have improved people’s access to the courts. He said the COVID-19 pandemic had made the importance of digital infrastructure clear. He said the broader objective was to make the courts understandable to citizens. Merely keeping the doors of the courts open does not ensure access to justice. Court procedures should also be easy to understand. The Chief Justice also mentioned the ‘One Case, One Data’ initiative. Its objective is to link case-related information across all levels of the judiciary. This will reduce the need to enter the same information repeatedly. Safeguards needed for the use of AI CJI Surya Kant said that the use of data and AI in courts is increasing. Therefore, safeguards are necessary for their use. The Supreme Court issued draft rules on the use of AI in courts in June 2026. These rules are based on the principle of ‘human primacy’. ​