SC considers use of AI-powered tools to improve legal research in Ph courts

Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo considers the improvement of legal research in the country by incorporating advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), among other technological innovations.

Gesmundo introduced the use of AI-powered tools to improve court legal research in his message during the 14th Biennial National Convention and Seminar of the Court Legal Researchers Association of the Philippines (CLERAP), held at the Palacio del Sur Convention Center, Marcian Garden Hotel, Zamboanga City, on February 15, 2023.

He said that the Supreme Court’s blueprint for judicial reform, the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027, or the SPJI, can significantly improve the productivity of the courts, including work traditionally done by court legal researchers.

"Court legal research is so often like looking for a needle in haystacks upon haystacks, and AI could be the magnet that makes that search faster and easier, to the benefit of the people that we ultimately serve," he described.

He specified that "through artificial intelligence, the SPJI will enable faster and easier access to legal references, and will usher in the redevelopment of the Judiciary ELibrary, which will include AI-enabled tech to improve its legal research capabilities."

Gesmundo further explained that "through natural language processing, the same technology behind ChatGPT, we will install a search engine that will provide more accurate and reliable results; using machine learning, search algorithms will constantly self-improve based on the feedback of users."

Finally, Gesmundo urged the legal researchers to fully embrace technology in the performance of their duties in order for them to work more efficiently and expeditiously.

"Today I call on you to fully embrace technology in this undertaking and in the performance of your duties. Harness it to work more efficiently and expeditiously and invest in the skills and resources needed to enable the shift that we envision. Be active agents of reform, bearing in mind that these innovations are meant not to supplant us, but to support us, and, in turn, those who rely on us and our work," he said.

The SPJI is the Supreme Court’s plan of action for the next five years from 2022 to 2027 to address institutional challenges using four guiding principles for the Judiciary in delivering justice: (1) timely and fair, (2) transparent and accountable, (3) equal and inclusive, and (4) technology adaptive. Steered by these guiding principles, the Court targets three major outcomes: Efficiency, Innovation, and Access.