In a landmark decision reported by Dawn’s Nasir Iqbal, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has called for a cautious and principled approach to integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the country’s judicial system, emphasizing that while the technology offers vast potential, it must never compromise the core human values that underpin justice.
The Aprilruling, delivered by a two-judge bench led by Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, directs the National Judicial (Policymaking) Committee (NJPMC) and the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) to craft comprehensive guidelines for the permissible use of AI within courts. These guidelines, the Court stressed, must ensure AI enhances judicial efficiency without undermining judicial independence or public trust.
Justice Shah acknowledged the promise of AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Copilot, and DeepSeek, which are already being explored by judges globally for tasks like legal research and drafting. He cited international examples, including cases from Colombia and Washington, DC, and noted that Pakistani judges have also begun experimenting with generative AI in both civil and criminal matters.
However, the Court warned that while AI can assist with operational reforms and reduce delays in Pakistan’s overwhelmed court system, it must never replace human judgement. “The human part of justice lies in its moral and emotional core—the qualities that AI can never replicate,” Justice Shah wrote.
The judgement insists that fairness, compassion, and the rule of law—not the rule of data—must guide judicial decisions. Algorithms, however powerful, should never override empathy, mercy, or the individualized context that each case demands.
Justice Shah emphasized that AI must be designed with fairness hardwired into its systems to avoid replicating existing biases. He also called for maintaining space for restorative justice and rehabilitation, cautioning against treating efficiency as the sole goal of legal innovation.
The ruling emerged from a seven-year-old rent dispute, during which the Supreme Court overturned a 2022 Lahore High Court decision. The Court’s 18-page decision was dispatched to the NJPMC and LJCP to guide the development of regulatory protocols for AI in the legal system.
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