'Courts must embrace AI without compromising constitutional values', says CJI Surya Kant

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Thursday called on courts to embrace digitalisation and artificial intelligence while ensuring that technological advancement does not dilute the constitutional values of dignity, equality, liberty and fairness.

Addressing the opening session of the VII Congress of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts (AACC) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the CJI said courts could not remain insulated from the rapid technological transformation reshaping governments, businesses and citizens' interactions with public institutions.

Courts cannot remain untouched

“Technology is changing the way our societies function. It is changing the way governments deliver services, businesses operate and citizens interact with public institutions. Courts, too, cannot remain untouched by this transformation,” CJI Kant said.

He said digitalisation offered significant possibilities for judicial systems, particularly in expanding access to courts, reducing delays and simplifying procedures.

The increasing use of technology in judicial administration has created opportunities to make court processes more efficient and accessible. At the same time, the CJI stressed that technological efficiency could not become an end in itself and had to operate within the constitutional principles courts are required to uphold.

AI can assist judges

Highlighting the potential role of artificial intelligence, CJI Kant said AI could assist judges and court staff with legal research and the management of large volumes of information.

“Artificial intelligence can assist judges and court staff in research and in managing large volumes of information. These are opportunities that we must approach with openness and imagination,” he said.

The CJI's remarks placed AI primarily in an assistive role within the justice system. Its ability to process and organise information could help judicial institutions deal with increasingly complex and voluminous records, but the constitutional responsibility of courts remained unchanged.

What must remain unchanged

CJI Kant said technological transformation also raised a deeper question for constitutional courts — what should remain unchanged when institutions and societies around them are rapidly evolving.

“For Constitutional Courts, the answer lies in the values we are entrusted to protect,” he said.

The Chief Justice emphasised that the function of a constitutional court went beyond adjudicating individual disputes. Courts also interpret and give practical meaning to constitutional guarantees that define the relationship between citizens and the state.

“A court does not merely decide cases. It gives meaning to the constitutional promises of dignity, equality, liberty and fairness,” he said.

Technology and tradition

The CJI said constitutional courts should not view technological change as a choice between preserving judicial tradition and adopting new tools.

Instead, he called for judicial institutions to integrate the advantages offered by technology while remaining firmly anchored to constitutional values. The objective, he said, should be to ensure that innovation strengthens rather than weakens the fundamental principles governing the administration of justice.

The remarks come as judicial systems around the world examine how AI tools can be used for research, case management, document processing and other administrative functions while addressing concerns surrounding reliability, transparency, accountability and fairness.

Asian courts urged to cooperate

CJI Kant also stressed the importance of cooperation among constitutional courts in Asia as they respond to challenges arising from digitalisation and artificial intelligence.

Technological transformation cuts across national boundaries, making exchanges between judicial institutions increasingly important as courts confront questions surrounding the appropriate use of emerging technologies.

The Samarkand Congress provides a platform for constitutional courts from across Asia to exchange experiences and approaches to these issues.

The theme of the VII Congress — “Constitutional Justice in the Era of Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence” — reflects the growing debate over how courts can take advantage of rapidly developing technologies without weakening the principles underlying constitutional justice.

For CJI Kant, the approach should not be to resist technological change but to ensure that its adoption remains subordinate to the fundamental purpose of courts. Digitalisation and AI may alter how judicial institutions work, but dignity, equality, liberty and fairness, he stressed, must continue to define what justice seeks to achieve.