Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has called for embracing digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI) in the justice system while ensuring that technological advancement does not dilute the constitutional values of dignity, equality, liberty and fairness. 

Addressing the opening session of the VII Congress of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the CJI said courts could not remain untouched by the rapid transformation brought about by technology. 

“Technology is changing the way our societies function. It is changing the way governments deliver services, businesses operate and citizens interact with public institutions. Courts, too, cannot remain untouched by this transformation,” he said. 

Digitalisation offers enormous possibilities for the justice system, he said, adding that it can make courts more accessible, reduce delays and simplify procedures. 

“AI can assist judges and co­urt staff in research and in ma­naging large volumes of in­fo­r­mation. These are op­portunities that we must approach wi­th openness and imagination... But technology also presents us with a more fundamental question: what must remain unchanged when everything around us is changing? For Constitutional Courts, the answer lies in the values we are entrusted to protect,” he said. The CJI said a court does not merely decide cases. 

“It gives meaning to the constitutional promises of dignity, equality, liberty and fairness,” he said.