There is a case for Al helping the law

The technology can assist in clearing the massive backlog in courts and in research, report ASHUTOSH MISHRA & BHAVINI MISHRA

-  ASHUTOSH MISHRA & BHAVINI MISHRA

India's judiciary needs urgent solutions: More than 50 million cases are pending before courts 80,000 in the Supreme Court and the country has the lowest judgeto-population ratio. Hope for help lies in artificial intelligence (AI).

The Supreme Court uses AI-based technology to translate judicial documents as well as in legal research and process automation. Since February 2023, AI has been used to transcribe oral arguments, particularly matters before the court's Constitution bench.

While collaborative projects like OpenNyAI, which is led by the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), have developed open-source AI tools to assist the judiciary, startups are using advanced machine learning models to streamline legal data and find solutions to tackle the backlog of cases.

Jhana AI, a legal technology startup, is developing an AI-powered assistant that functions like a paralegal, a legal professional who works under the supervision of a lawyer. The assistant will review documents, flag risks and assist in research by reading vast databases of judgments and legal documents. It will provide research material that includes citations, helping lawyers in accuracy. "Our AI-powered assistant can review documents, flag risks, and even assist in legal research by reading through every single judgement available in the database," said Ben Hoffner-Brodsky, co-founder of Jhana AI.

Legal tool

AI has become a tool for precision in legal work, he said. "The greatest risk in legal research is missing a crucial precedent or judgement. With AI, you can read through every single judgment in the database and ensure nothing is overlooked."