In a world where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is advancing by leaps and bounds, it has also become one of the main topics of debate. Many people reflect on the challenges and opportunities that AI presents in our daily, work, and social lives, etc.
With new technological advancements, one of the most discussed questions among various judges, lawyers, legal professionals, and others in the legal field is: Can AI really positively revolutionize the judicial world?
We believe that AI, through the advancements it is undergoing and will undergo in the coming years, can be considered a technological revolution without precedent that has completely transformed the digital world. Just as it has affected other areas, it will also end up impacting the judicial world in fundamental aspects, such as reaching an international consensus on the creation of new fundamental rights that could be threatened or guaranteed through AI, for example.
Clearly and concisely, we can affirm that neither AI, nor a robot, nor any type of technology can replace the human figure of a legal professional, since in our field, a large part of the work we do daily involves human interaction, something that no machine can achieve.
It is true that it could be a very good tool for providing training, for example, or even a useful measure for analyzing large volumes of data and legal documentation, thereby facilitating the work of legal professionals to quickly and accurately access the most relevant information. Every human being has a margin of error; however, AI, when used correctly, does not have one, which means it could be used to identify information that a professional might overlook when making decisions.
AI could also be used to make numerical predictions regarding judicial years and the budget that needs to be allocated to each branch or department, or for any other type of useful numerical statistics.
This is precisely a controversial topic, as these aspects we are currently praising—namely, the precision and unequivocality that AI can bring positively to the judicial world—could backfire and pose significant challenges in terms of ethics and morality, and even in certain legal aspects.
Since it is a type of technology that lacks feelings or reasoning, different situations of discrimination or racial or gender inequalities could arise.
In legal terms, this could also pose a significant challenge, as while more repetitive and administrative tasks, such as filing, data storage, form completion, etc., could be delegated, other more complex tasks could also emerge that AI could perform to facilitate the work of legal professionals. However, this also means that those professionals must adapt and acquire many more skills in technology and data analysis in order to compete with this AI and remain relevant figures within a workplace to avoid being replaced.
We conclude this blog by asserting that AI is a powerful tool and mechanism that will revolutionize and bring many prosperous and productive aspects to the judicial branch in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity—fundamental pillars in this type of work.
However, we must not forget that, as we mentioned at the beginning, it is a type of technology devoid of humanity, so we cannot replace the human being and the warmth that it inherently brings compared to AI. It is a reality that as AI evolves and becomes regulated, doubts will fade, and it will seem perfectly normal, although the ethical and professional challenges that will arise with its implementation will not cease to exist. Therefore, we will need to find a balance between what is effective and what is necessary.
