POE BACKS AI USE IN COURTS BUT WITH SAFEGUARDS

SENATOR Grace Poe supported initiatives to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology in court-related works, but stressed the need for stringent safeguards and vetting.

“We will not rely too much on AI, but we can make use of the technology as an option to help check the human side of decisions, such as data, transcript and research information,” Poe, chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee, said during the budget briefing of the judiciary.

“When vetted thoroughly and strictly, AI can enhance the efficiency of our court systems,” she added.

Court personnel can draw support from the AI technology in coming up with faster transcriptions, research and double-checking past decisions, laws or precedents that could be used in the resolution of cases.

Poe agreed with the statement of Supreme Court  (SC) Associate Justice Mario Lopez who said that amid the existence of AI, the court remains “not only a court of law, but a court of equity,” adding “there is some humanity involved in the disposition of cases.”

“There are positives of employing AI, but in the end the humanitarian factor is always a consideration,” Poe said.

Court Administrator Raul Villanueva said the SC has began embarking on the use of the technology and is in the process of developing tools to aid the work of court personnel such as voice to text transcriptions while the testimony is ongoing and transcription of testimonies in certain dialects.

The Judiciary is seeking P63.57 billion budget for 2025. This will include appropriations for the SC, Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, Court of Tax Appeals, and the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.

During the budget briefing, Poe lauded the Judiciary for the faster disposition of cases nationwide.

“We hope to have a legal landscape that will embrace technology responsibly for a more responsive and more accessible justice system for the Filipinos,” Poe said.