The legal industry in India has been witnessing a significant transformation with the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. These tools are revolutionizing various aspects of legal practice – changing the way legal professionals work, enabling them to navigate through vast amounts of data more efficiently. Such tools employ natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to extract relevant information quickly and accurately, significantly reducing the time and effort traditionally required for legal research and reading.
The most relevant and inspirational example of use of such tools is the deployment of AI- transcribers in several Constitution Bench proceedings before the Supreme Court of India. On 21st February 2023, Chief Justice of India Justice DY Chandrachud announced that the Supreme Court would be publishing live transcriptions of all constitution bench proceedings using A.I. transcribers. Needless to say, this is a monumental step for an industry that is otherwise known to be fairly traditional with its processes and procedures. This step by the judiciary sets a significant precedent to be adopted by other courts within the country, as transcribing proceedings is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. With the integration of AI transcribers, however, this task becomes significantly more efficient. AI transcribers leverage advanced speech recognition algorithms and machine learning techniques to convert spoken words into text in real-time. This enables faster and more accurate transcription of court proceedings, saving valuable time for all those involved.
Now while AI transcribers offer significant advantages, they obviously have certain drawbacks. One limitation is their dependence on audio quality. Background noise, poor audio recording, or overlapping voices can affect the accuracy of transcriptions, which is an accurate description of any court proceedings! Additionally, the most significant drawback is the inability of such transcribers to accurately understand accents, dialects, or speakers with unique speech patterns, resulting in higher error rates. This is especially the case in a country like India where proceedings of several courts are conducted in regional languages, making the use of AI transcribers redundant. Furthermore, the contextual understanding of AI transcribers is still limited, making it challenging to accurately capture complex legal or technical terminology. Lastly, the risk of privacy breaches exists when sensitive or confidential information is transcribed and stored by AI systems. Striking a balance between convenience and ensuring data security remains a challenge in the adoption of AI transcribers.
It is of course important to acknowledge that these limitations are not inherent deficiencies of AI itself, but challenges in its development and application. AI transcribers continuously learn and improve, as that is the nature of all artificial intelligence. Feedback loops and user interactions help refine the algorithms and language models, resulting in better accuracy over time. Interestingly, the only way to teach AI to work for you is to learn to use it more efficiently!
There is of the argument that employing AI transcribers would cause a massive loss of jobs across the board. While this may be somewhat true, there can be no replacement for human intelligence, reasoning, critical thinking, and analysis. AI tools are meant to augment legal professionals’ capabilities, and not replace them entirely.
The Supreme Court’s integration of AI transcribers in court proceedings exemplifies the transformative impact of AI in the legal industry. By automating the transcription process, AI tools enable greater efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility in the judicial system. While challenges remain, the utilization of AI transcribers in the Supreme Court signals a progressive approach towards leveraging technology to enhance the administration of justice in India.