Author: Saksham Ramchandra Jadhav, BDBA Law College
To The Point
Imagine walking into a court not to meet a judge or a lawyer, but to interact with a screen that already knows your case, your history, and the law inside out. Sounds like science fiction? Not anymore. Artificial Intelligence is rapidly becoming a major player in legal world. From analyzing huge volumes of legal data in a quite seconds, to drafting contracts, predicting case outcomes, and even helping judges with case sentencing. What took lawyers days or weeks, AI can do it now quite seconds, Its quite fast, efficient, and precise. That’s the REVOLUTION. But law is been always more then just rules and logic. Its about people, emotions, Fairness, and morality. Can a machine really understand the human side of justice? Can it detect when person deserves a second chance? Or when case goes beyond black and white? This are the question we cannot afford to ignore.
Abstract
Artificial Intelligence is no longer limited to science labs or tech companies, it has quietly but powerfully entered the world of law. Fromm automating legal research and Contract Drafting to assisting in judicial decisions, AI is redefining how the legal system operates. This blog explores the double-edged nature of AI’s growing role in the legal domain. On one hand, it promises efficiency, accessibility, and innovation. On the other, it raises serious concerns about ethics, accountability, and the diminishing role of human judgment. Can machines truly understand justice, or are we risking the soul of the legal system by replacing human intuition with data driven logic? This blog dives into these questions, analyzing whether AI is ushering in a legal revolution or signaling the slow decline of human-centered law.
Use of Legal Jargon
The proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the legal landscape is redefining the contours of modern jurisprudence. Emerging technologies are being deployed across various facets of legal practice from contract lifecycle management and due diligence to legal analytics and adjudicatory functions fundamentally altering traditional notions of legal reasoning and access to justice. While AI augments procedural efficiency and expedites dispute resolution, it simultaneously raises significant jurisprudential concerns relating to algorithmic opacity, violation of natural justice, potential infringement of fundamental rights, and dilution of judicial discretion.
This blog undertakes a critical analysis of whether AI is catalyzing a paradigm shift within the legal framework fostering legal innovation and strengthening the administration of justice or whether it poses a latent threat to foundational legal doctrines such as the rule of law, proportionality, and legal certainty. As the legal fraternity navigates this evolving intersection of law and technology, the question remains: is AI a legitimate tool for progressive legal reform, or a disruptive force that may erode the normative essence of law?
The Proof
We’ve already started seeing how AI is changing the legal world. Today, tasks that used to take lawyers hours like going through old case files, reviewing contracts, or doing legal research can be done by machines in just minutes. AI tools can quickly read through hundreds of documents, highlight key information, and even suggest legal arguments. For lawyers and law firms, this saves a lot of time and money.
Courts are also slowly adopting AI. In some countries, judges use AI-based tools to help them decide how likely it is that someone will commit another crime which can affect bail or sentencing. Some apps even give legal advice to people who can’t afford a lawyer.
Real World Examples Where AI Is Used in Law
1.COMPAS SYSTEM- USA
One of the most talked-about examples is the COMPAS (Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions) system used in some U.S. courts. It’s an AI tool used to assess whether a person is likely to commit another crime. Judges used this tool to help make decisions about bail or sentencing. But there were major concerns. A study found that COMPAS showed bias against Black defendants, often rating them as a higher risk than white defendants with similar records. This raised big questions about fairness and racism in AI-based justice.
2.INDIA- AI IN LEGAL RESEARCH
In India, the Supreme Court has started experimenting with AI tools to help with document translation, legal research, and case summarization. Tools like SUPACE (Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Courts Efficiency) aim to assist judges by reducing their workload but not replace their decisions.
This shows how AI can help improve speed and efficiency in a country with a huge case backlog as long as it’s used as an assistant, not a decision-maker.
Case Laws Involving AI and Law
1.State v. loomis (2016)- USA
COURT: Wisconsin Supreme Court.
ISSUE: Use of COMPAS AI TOOL in criminal sentencing.
What Happened: Eric Loomis was sentenced based in part on a risk score provided by the AI tool COMPAS, which claimed he was at high risk of reoffending. He challenged the decision, saying it violated his right to due process because he couldn’t understand or challenge how the AI made that decision.
Judgment: The court allowed the use of COMPAS but said judges must be careful and cannot rely solely on it. They also warned that the tool’s working is not transparent and may carry bias.
Importance: This case raised global awareness about the dangers of relying on “black box” AI systems in criminal law, where a person’s liberty is at stake.
2.Uber BV v.Aslam (2021)- UNITED KINGDOM
COURT: UK Supreme Court
ISSUE: Algorithm Control and gig worker rights.
What Happned: Uber drivers argued they were not independent contractors, but actually workers under UK law, because they were heavily controlled by Uber’s app algorithm (such as trip assignments, pricing, and penalties).
Judgment: The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the drivers, saying Uber’s algorithm effectively controlled and monitored the workers, so they deserved legal protections like minimum wage and paid leave.
Importance: Though not directly about AI in court, this case shows how AI driven systems can create. legal consequences, especially when algorithms take control of human decisions in the workplace.
3.Justice K.S. Putt swamy v. Union of India (2017) – India
Court: Supreme Court of India
Issue: Right to Privacy & use of personal data (including by automated systems)
What happened: This was a landmark judgment that declared the Right to Privacy a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
Relevance to AI: The court emphasized that technological tools like AI must not violate privacy, and any data collection or processing must be fair, lawful, and with proper safeguards.
Importance: This case set the foundation for regulating AI and data-driven technologies in India, especially in sensitive areas like law enforcement or surveillance.
Conclusion
Artificial Intelligence has undoubtedly made its mark on the legal field. From helping lawyers draft documents and conduct legal research, to assisting judges with case management and even influencing bail and sentencing decisions AI is no longer just a futuristic idea, it’s here, shaping how the law is practiced every day.
But as with any powerful tool, the real question is not what AI can do it’s how we choose to use it.
The law has always been deeply human. It is based on values, empathy, ethics, and a shared sense of justice. It’s not just about rules written in books it’s about people’s lives, freedoms, and rights. While AI can process thousands of cases in seconds, it doesn’t understand human pain, intention, or context. It doesn’t ask, “Is this fair?” It simply looks for patterns. And in a system that demands fairness above all else, that’s not always enough.
Recent events and cases have shown us both the power and the dangers of AI in law. From fake legal citations created by chatbots, to lawsuits over biased hiring algorithms, it’s clear that AI, if not carefully handled, can do harm even when it means well. But at the same time, we’ve also seen how AI tools can help make legal services faster and more accessible, especially in places with overloaded courts and people who can’t afford lawyers.
So where does that leave us?
The answer is balance. AI should be a partner not a replacement. It can support legal professionals, help reduce backlogs, and even make justice more affordable and efficient. But the final decision, the one that affects real people, must always be in human hands. Judges, lawyers, and lawmakers must lead with conscience and compassion, using AI as a guide, not as a judge.
We stand at a turning point. This is not the end of law, but the beginning of a new chapter one where technology can help us build a more just, accessible, and responsive legal system. But only if we remember that justice is not just about what’s logical it’s about what’s right.
In the end, the law should remain human at heart, and AI should serve that humanity not replace it.
FAQS
Q1. Can AI really replace lawyers and judges?
No. AI can assist lawyers and judges with tasks like legal research, drafting documents, or analyzing patterns but it cannot replace human judgment, empathy, ethics, or understanding of context. Law isn’t just about logic it’s about fairness and people.
Q2. Is AI currently being used in courts?
Yes. Many countries have started using AI tools in courts like India’s SUPACE for case summarization, or the U.S. courts using COMPAS to assess bail risks. However, these tools are still used with human supervision, and not as decision makers.
Q3. Are there any risks in using AI in law?
Yes. The biggest risks include:
Bias in AI outcomes (especially if trained on unfair data), Lack of transparency (we don’t always know how AI made a decision), Over-reliance, where human oversight is reduced. These risks can affect people’s rights, especially in criminal or sensitive matters.
Q5. How is India using AI in the legal system?
India has introduced tools like SUPACE in the Supreme Court for faster research and case analysis. There’s also interest in AI for translation of judgments, legal document review, and digitization. But Indian courts still rely on human judges to make final decisions.
Q6. Can AI help people who can’t afford a lawyer?
Yes, to some extent. Tools like DoNotPay offer simple legal help (like fighting traffic fines or canceling subscriptions). But these are only useful for basic matters. For serious legal issues, human lawyers are still essential.
