By the year 2070, robotic judges will replace humans and be far better at the job.

AI specialist Terence Mauri believes that robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) will advance to a point where a robotic judge could pass judgment with 99.9% accuracy using body language to detect signs of lying. 50 years from now, these robots will be fluent in every known language, show courtesy in the court, and deliver verdicts with near-total fairness and accuracy. (Daily Mail UK)

Robotic Judges

The AI-powered judgment machines will be equipped with cameras and sensors. They can spot tell-tale signs from the defendant (or witness) that they are lying.

These signs include hand and eye movements, irregular speech patterns, and erratic body temperature.

The robotic judge can thereafter analyze the data and determine an accurate judgment based on whether or not the person was telling the truth.

Mauri conducted this study over a two-year timeframe. He says these robots would be a regular feature in most courts in England and Wales within half a century.

“In a legal setting, AI will usher in a new, fairer form of digital justice whereby human emotion, bias, and error will become a thing of the past,” says Mauri.

“Hearings will be quicker and the innocent will be unlikely to be convicted of a crime they did not commit.”

Who is at risk?

Legal roles such as paralegals, legal secretaries, court clerks, chartered legal executives, and solicitors are likely to lose their jobs.

However, barristers and most senior judges will be safe.

In some courts, a jury is not required, such as magistrates courts, county courts, and family courts.  Here, robotic judges will supplant human judges.

China’s use of AI-powered judges

Since 2017, China has been using artificial judges and cyber courts that deliver their verdicts on chat apps.

For example, at the Hangzhou Internet Court, which decides on cases such as online trade disputes, copyright cases, and e-commerce product liability claims, litigants appear in court via video chat. The AI judge prompts them on how to present their evidence or case.

This court is available on the social media platform known as WeChat.

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