Kerala High Court Chief Justice Warns AI Demands Legal Oversight to Protect Constitutional Values
In a significant address, Kerala High Court Chief Justice and National University of Advanced Legal Studies (Nuals) Chancellor S Soumen Sen declared that artificial intelligence represents a profound "civilisational shift" that necessitates robust legal oversight to protect constitutional principles in our rapidly evolving world.
Timely Response to Global Disruptions
While inaugurating a specialized training programme for government pleaders at Nuals on Friday, Justice Sen emphasized that this workshop serves as a crucial and timely response to the global disruptions being driven by artificial intelligence and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The programme was organized by the MK Damodaran International Centre for Excellence in Law, with Nuals Vice-Chancellor G B Reddy presiding over the function.
Law Officers at the Intersection of Authority and Accountability
Justice Sen highlighted the critical position of law officers, who stand at the precise intersection of executive authority and constitutional accountability. He stressed their fundamental responsibility to ensure that state power is exercised fairly and remains strictly within constitutional limits, a duty that becomes increasingly complex in the age of advanced technologies.
AI's Dual Nature: Promise and Peril
The Chief Justice provided a balanced perspective on artificial intelligence, acknowledging its substantial potential to enhance various legal domains while simultaneously warning of serious emerging threats.
Potential Benefits:- Significant enhancement of legal research capabilities
- Improved litigation strategy development
- Increased drafting efficiency for legal documents
- Proliferation of deepfakes that can manipulate evidence
- Creation of synthetic evidence that appears authentic
- Fabrication of records that undermine judicial processes
Justice Sen cautioned that these technological developments pose substantial risks to judicial integrity and the very foundation of legal systems worldwide. He called for principled legal frameworks that can harness AI's benefits while protecting against its potential misuse, ensuring that constitutional values remain safeguarded during this transformative period.
