For the Swiss Association of Judges, artificial intelligence (AI) is an instrument that could be useful in the medium and long term in the administration of justice. However, it is likely to relieve the judiciary only to a limited extent.
AI could be used, for example, in mass cases and as an aid in the search for precedents, the association’s president Marie-Pierre de Montmollin told the Keystone-SDA Swiss News Agency.
It is also important to bear in mind that criminal proceedings are usually conducted orally and the sentence is determined individually. Under these conditions, AI could be a tool in the fight against judicial overload, she said at Neuchâtel cantonal court on behalf of the association’s board.
AI must also comply with the conditions set out by the Council of Europe in 2018 in an ethical charter on the use of artificial intelligence in and around the judiciary, she said. The Council of Europe demands, for example, certified sources and transparent data processing methods.
This sounds very dangerous. Finding precedents could be done with regular search tools. There are some things, although falable, should still be done by humans. Chosing the fate of another human being should not be left to AI.
