By Sukanya Ganesh in AI — Apr 7, 2025

⚖️ Gavel Meets AI

In courtrooms worldwide, AI is quietly shaping decisions and raising new questions about justice.

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It was a routine morning in a Wisconsin courtroom. A young man stood before the judge, waiting to hear if he’d be released on bail. The lawyers had made their arguments, but the final decision wasn’t just based on human judgment—it came with the help of a computer screen displaying a “risk score.” That score, generated by an AI system called COMPAS, claimed the man was likely to reoffend. The judge denied bail.

What the defendant didn’t know was that the algorithm assessing him had never met him, never heard his story, and might have been wrong. But its influence was real.

Across the world, artificial intelligence is silently reshaping the halls of justice. From analyzing legal documents in seconds to advising judges on sentencing, AI is stepping into roles once reserved only for trained legal minds. The question is no longer if AI belongs in courtrooms—but how it should be used, and what kind of justice it delivers.

Legal Research & Document Analysis

Example: ROSS Intelligence (U.S.)

Built on IBM’s Watson, ROSS was designed to help lawyers quickly find relevant case law using natural language questions like, "What is the precedent for wrongful termination in California?"
It could analyze thousands of legal documents in seconds and extract key points for argument.

Predictive Analytics

Example: Lex Machina (U.S.)

Predicts how judges might rule, how long cases may last, and which arguments are most effective based on historical data.
Useful in intellectual property and commercial litigation.

Real-Time Transcription & Translation

Example: AI Court Transcription (Singapore)

Singapore’s Supreme Court uses automated speech recognition (ASR) to create real-time transcripts of hearings.
In multilingual environments, AI is also used for instant translation of proceedings.

Virtual Judicial Assistants

Example: DARVIS (Germany & U.S.)

Used in administrative court settings to sort files, tag legal documents, and assist with calendar management.
Judges receive pre-processed case summaries before hearings.

Online Dispute Resolution (ODR)

Example: British Columbia Civil Resolution Tribunal (Canada)

An AI-assisted online platform helps citizens resolve small claims, strata property, and motor vehicle injury disputes.
AI guides users through filing complaints, presenting evidence, and even reaching a resolution—sometimes without human intervention.

As artificial intelligence continues to revolutionize industries from healthcare to finance, courtrooms are beginning to embrace this powerful technology too. From streamlining legal research to predicting case outcomes, AI is transforming the way justice is administered—raising both exciting possibilities and serious ethical questions.