The Supreme Court of India has affirmed that judges will use artificial intelligence (AI) in court proceedings only with “utmost caution,” and stressed that AI will never replace human judicial decision-making. This assurance came during a hearing where a petition had sought formal regulation of AI and machine-learning tools within the judiciary.
A bench led by Surya Kant (Chief Justice of India) and Joymalya Bagchi declined to entertain the plea. The Court said there was “no question of unregulated use by us,” indicating that judges are already careful and mindful about when and how AI is employed in legal work.
The petitioner had raised concerns that courts may be relying on AI-generated precedents, which in some cases turn out to be fake or fabricated. In response, the bench noted that many such issues appear to stem from incorrect usage by advocates — such as citing faulty AI-generated material — rather than from the Court’s own use of AI tools.
In effect, the Court maintained that while AI may be used as an aid (for research, document preparation, etc.), final judgments and legal reasoning must remain exclusively human. The ruling underscores a cautious, incremental approach to AI in India’s judicial system — balancing potential efficiency gains with the imperative of fairness, judicial discretion, and accountability.
