Chief justice eyes AI to hasten lawsuit resolution
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo. (File photo by RYAN LEAGOGO / INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court is eyeing to use artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools to improve operations in the judiciary, particularly the legal research system, as part of its drive to unclog court dockets and expedite disposition of cases.
According to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI), the high court’s blueprint for judicial reform, can significantly improve the productivity of the courts, including the work done by court legal researchers.
“The SPJI will, among others, allow us to ride this wave of technological advancement, capitalizing on artificial intelligence not just for court operations, but also for legal research. This, in turn, will facilitate the speedy disposition of cases,” said Gesmundo during the 14th Biennial National Convention and Seminar of the Court Legal Researchers Association of the Philippines held recently in Zamboanga City.
Gesmundo noted that in other jurisdictions, AI-powered applications are already being used in two particular areas of law and the administration of justice, which could clearly benefit the Philippine judiciary as well—AI-enabled transcription to support court stenography and AI-powered tools to aid legal researchers.”
“Court legal research is so often like looking for a needle in haystacks upon haystacks and AI could be the magnet that makes that search faster and easier, to the benefit of the people that we ultimately serve,” he said.
“Through artificial intelligence, the SPJI will enable faster and easier access to legal references. It will usher in the redevelopment of the Judiciary e-Library, which will include AI-enabled tech to improve its legal research capabilities,” added the Chief Justice.
“Through natural language processing — the same technology behind ChatGPT — we will install a search engine that will provide more accurate and reliable results; using machine learning, search algorithms will constantly self-improve based on the feedback of users,” he said.
