Chief Justice of India, D Y Chandrachud, emphasised the imperative of transparency and accountability in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) for judicial decision-making during the J20 Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Chandrachud said, “As judges, we are neither princes nor sovereigns who are above the explainability requirement ourselves. We are now having conversations about the explainability of the artificial intelligence decision-making mechanism, which means that AI cannot decide in a black box and there must be an explanation of why it decided the way it did.”
Understanding the role of judges he added, “Judges are after all perhaps the only public functionaries who are perched on a raised platform, who punish for contempt, and make important decisions about the lives of others in discrete private chambers, without the fear of electoral losses.”
Furthermore, Chandrachud advocated for the utilisation of digitisation and technology to augment the efficiency of justice delivery mechanisms, both preceding and succeeding in the rendering of decisions.
In addition to addressing the challenge of disinformation surrounding court proceedings, particularly the dissemination of misleading clips on social media platforms, he applauded the role of legal journalists in dispelling misinformation.
As per an Indian Express report, CJI Chandrachud commended the Brazil Supreme Court’s Program to Combat Disinformation as a significant stride toward addressing this pressing issue. With the proliferation of virtual courts across India, he acknowledged the prevalence of edited or misleading video clips circulating online and underscored the paramount importance of accurate and accessible information as a potent countermeasure to disinformation.
