1,000-Year-Old Legal System Uses AI
In a bold move, England and Wales’s 1,000-year-old legal system has taken a cautious step into the realm of artificial intelligence. The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary recently granted judges permission to use AI in the process of crafting opinions. However, they have emphasized the need to tread carefully, as AI technology can sometimes produce inaccurate or misleading information.
Master of the Rolls Geoffrey Vos, the second-highest ranking judge in England and Wales, stated, “Judges do not need to shun the careful use of AI. But they must ensure that they protect confidence and take full personal responsibility for everything they produce.”
This approach comes at a time when the legal profession is grappling with the potential impact of AI on their field, including the possibility of AI replacing lawyers, assisting in jury selection, or even making judgments. The judiciary’s approach is a measured one, aiming to strike a balance between embracing technological advancements and maintaining the integrity of the legal system.
Legal experts like Ryan Abbott, a law professor at the University of Surrey and author of “The Reasonable Robot: Artificial Intelligence and the Law,” have welcomed the move and believe it will serve as a model for other countries grappling with the role of AI in the legal system.
While the U.S. Supreme Court has acknowledged the benefits and drawbacks of AI, no federal guidelines have been established. Individual courts and judges at the federal and local levels have set their own rules.
The English and Welsh judiciary’s guidance comes with numerous warnings about the limitations of AI and potential pitfalls if users are not aware of how it works. For example, it should not be used for research or legal analyses, as it can fabricate information and provide misleading, inaccurate, and biased information.
Judges were also warned about the potential risks of disclosing confidential information to AI systems and the fact that much of the legal material used to train AI comes from the internet and is often based on U.S. law.
While the thought of AI in law is a bit nerve wracking. It could be that the cautious integration of AI in the English and Welsh legal system will create a proactive and measured approach to AI adoption. That way the technology is used responsibly and ethically.
This reminds me of when that Manhattan judge got mad at some lawyers that used chatGPT for court case research. Poor guys didn’t realize that AI can just make stuff up. 😅
The use of AI is crass stupidity! It does not use common sense or human empathy for different situations. You can ask it why it has lied to you, it will apologise and then tell you the truth. AI cannot replace a human under any situation ever. It has NO FEELINGS AT ALL! It has no sound judgement what so ever. ANYONE WHO DESIGNED SUCH A LUDICROUS PIECE OF JUNK AND THEN WANTS TO BE RULED BY IT IN A COURT OF LAW IS YET ANOTHER PSYCHOPATH AMONGST US!
OUR ENGLISH CONSTITUTION BILL OF RIGHTS 1688/89 given to us by WILLIAM OF ORANGE IN PERPETUITY STANDS TO THIS DAY IN FULL FORCE. Queen ELIZABETH II afirmed this to both Houses in 1988. WE, THE PEOPLE, CANNOT BE RULED BY ‘ENEMIES’ FOREIGN OR DOMESTIC! “AND WE MEAN IT!”