MANILA, Philippines – Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo on Monday assured that court stenographers will keep their job even as the judiciary adapts artificial intelligence (AI) technology as part of its innovations.
“We will train our people, and we will redo their skills. That is our commitment. Voice-to-text will not eliminate the job of stenographers,” Gesmundo said in response to the question raised by a representative from the Court Stenographers’ Association of the Philippines during the gathering of development partners and stakeholders for Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027.
Gesmundo said the stenographers will be trained to be more efficient and reliable to be able to adapt to new technology.
“Court employees serve as the very backbone of our judicial system,” he said.
Part of the technology that the judiciary wants to adapt is voice-to-text technology, as well as using programs to translate ongoing court proceedings in a dialect for a particular party in a particular case as he said they will be putting televisions in courtrooms.
He added that they will also be putting AI-enabled platforms for self-help and public assistance services in precincts and courts.
“The kiosks will assist the public as to court processes and procedures, provide answers to some of their queries, and the like,” Gesmundo said.
He said the strategic plan seeks to create new approaches in the judiciary for the “delivery of responsive and real-time justice.”