IHC judge warns against 'robot judges'

Justice Khan questions AI use, says machines lack moral judgment

ISLAMABAD:

Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan has expressed serious reservations about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in judicial proceedings, warning that "robot judges will always remain subservient to their programmers".

In a letter addressed to Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar - a copy of which was also circulated among all IHC judges - Justice Ejaz raised fundamental concerns over the implications of AI-assisted justice, arguing that such systems lack the capacity for moral reasoning and independence.

"The opponents of artificial intelligence technology believe it to be a programmable system," he wrote. "Therefore, robot judges will always remain subservient to their programmers. Their decisions will be in accordance with the codes fed into them."

Justice Ejaz observed that computers or robots "do not have the ability to form independent opinions or deliver judgments aligned with the truth".

He added that while he did not previously share these reservations, the September 3 full court meeting on the issue had altered his perspective.

"In the past, I did not agree with this view," he noted, "but after the full court meeting on September 3, my stance has come closer to that of the critics."

The judge also endorsed the views of Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, who had earlier voiced similar apprehensions regarding the judiciary's adoption of AI tools.

The full court meeting, chaired by Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar, had primarily discussed Practice and Procedure Rules as well as Establishment Rules, which were approved by a majority vote. Justice Ejaz was among the five judges who opposed the rules.