Robot judges powered by Artificial Intelligence could be used to make court rulings, one of the country’s most senior law lords has declared.
Master of the Rolls Sir Geoffrey Vos believes the emerging technology may be utilised in the future to decide low level cases.
The judge thinks AI programmes and machines could be the perfect way to makes some decisions.
The comments – made to the Law and Technology Conference – may alarm those concerned at the rise of AI.
Numerous sectors are feeling the pinch from the systems replacing human workers and inputs.
Sir Geoffrey said: ‘I have already said that I have no doubt that lawyers will not be able to stand aside from the uses of generative AI.
‘Clients will insist that all tools available are at least considered for application within the delivery of legal services.
‘But will judicial decisions be taken by machines rather than judges? As many of you will know, we are introducing in England and Wales a digital justice system that will allow citizens and businesses to go online to be directed to the most appropriate online pre-action portal or dispute resolution forum.
That digital justice system will ultimately culminate at the end of what I regard as a “funnel” in the online court process that is already being developed for pretty well all civil, family and tribunal disputes.
‘I believe that it may also, at some stage, be used to take some (at first, very minor) decisions. The controls that will be required are (a) for the parties to know what decisions are taken by judges and what by machines, and (b) for there always to be the option of an appeal to a human judge.’
But while Sir Geoffrey believes that technology could be the future for the judiciary he admits there are limits to his use.
He stressed that he did not think the public would accept robotic judgements of cases involving children or very serious offences.
The justice added: ‘The limiting feature for machine-made decisions is likely to be the requirement that the citizens and businesses that any justice system serves have confidence in that system.
‘There are some decisions – like for example intensely personal decisions relating to the welfare of children – that humans are unlikely ever to accept being decided by machines.
‘But in other kinds of less intensely personal disputes, such as commercial and compensation disputes, parties may come to have confidence in machine made decisions more quickly than many might expect.’
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