During a recent hearing in the Supreme Court on the Krishna River water dispute, Justice Surya Kant shared strong views on the risks of using artificial intelligence (AI) in legal processes.

Justice Kant interacted with Senior Advocate Jaideep Gupta during the proceedings. On a lighter note, Gupta mentioned that with tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, one could simply ask for details like the tributaries of the Krishna River. Justice Kant responded cautiously:

“At least I don't do that. I am very afraid of doing that. It's human nature that when we start depending upon something, we are bound to become used to it.”

Justice Kant warned about the tendency of humans to over-rely on technology, which could weaken our own thinking and research capabilities.

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Adding to this concern, Advocate Gupta pointed out another risk. He noted that using AI may reduce our habit of checking source materials and verifying facts. He stated:

“We must not forget our ability to research the source material. If we do that, the ability to authenticate the answer we are getting from AI is lost.”

Justice Kant supported this point and said:

“We must remind ourselves that this is also a man-made machine.”

He emphasized that AI systems reflect the biases of their human creators.

“Absolutely, very serious biases,” said Justice Kant, clearly showing concern.

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Gupta further discussed the need for strong ethical rules in AI usage. He gave an example of an AI that responds with harmful advice like “remove the person.” He explained that AI should instead respond ethically, reminding users that such actions are not acceptable.

“One of the efforts today is to make ethical rules for AI so that it starts following them in giving answers,” Gupta said.

The discussion during the hearing showed how serious the Supreme Court is about the impact of AI on law and justice. Both Justice Kant and Advocate Gupta agreed that while AI can be helpful, it must be used carefully, with full understanding of its limits and risks.

Case Title: THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH Versus UNION OF INDIA AND ANR., W.P.(C) No. 1230/2023