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Ex-CJI Chandrachud said judging was about compassion and empathetic outcomes that could not be trusted with Artificial Intelligence.
Former CJI DY Chandrachud said AI cannot be ignored and is here to evolve. (File)
Former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who retired on November 8, gave his opinion on Artificial Intelligence replacing judges in the future and also addressed the issue of criticism of judgements on social media.
In an exclusive interview with CNN-News18, Justice Chandrachud rejected the idea of AI replacing judges, calling it far-fetched, but stressed that people cannot wish away AI as it is here to stay and evolve. “I don’t think that is going to happen (AI replacing judges). It’s very far-fetched but we can’t wish away AI,” he said.
“It’s here to stay and evolve. AI will have ability to think in future, not just to bring large data together but create outcomes,” Justice Chandrachud said, adding that he would be “reluctant” to hand over the process of judgements in courts to robots.
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‘Judging Is About Compassion’: Justice Chandrachud
The ex-CJI further emphasised that judging is about compassion and empathetic outcomes. “AI cannot do what human judging is all about. Human judges may have elements of error, but I’d rather trust a human being as opposed to a trusting robot.”
“However, we have to embrace AI. There is a huge degree of AI to translate and transform the work which we are doing in the legal profession. I am sure we can use the positives of AI,” he told CNN-News18.
‘The Target Is Never…’: Chandrachud On Social Media Criticism
Addressing the issue of criticism of judges, former CJI Chandrachud highlighted the era of social media and said judges were in need of training. “We had no social media in our times when we were studying. The target is never the judgement its the judge,” he said.
Justice Chandrachud’s stellar career as the CJI, from decriminalising Section 377 to passing the verdict on the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, came to an end as he retired and paved the way for Justice Sanjeev Khanna to become the next Chief Justice of India on November 11.