AI-Generated Verdicts: Supreme Court Sounds Alarm, Issues Notice to AG and Bar Council

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The Supreme Court has taken cognizance of a trial court's reliance on alleged AI-generated 'fake' verdicts, warning that such decisions would amount to misconduct rather than mere errors. In a recent order, a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe expressed concern over the integrity of the adjudicatory process and issued a notice to Attorney General R Venkataramani, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, and the Bar Council of India. The issue arose during a hearing of a plea challenging a January order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which had considered a suit filed for an injunction. The trial court had appointed an advocate-commissioner to note the physical features of a disputed property, but the petitioners challenged the report, alleging that the judgments relied upon were AI-generated. The high court had initially realized that the judgments were fake, but proceeded to decide the case on merits, dismissing the civil revision petition. However, the petitioners moved the Supreme Court, and the bench agreed to hear the plea, issuing a notice on it. The court has also appointed senior advocate Shyam Divan to assist it in the matter. This development comes on the heels of a separate matter heard by the top court on February 17, where a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant expressed concern over a growing trend of lawyers filing petitions drafted with AI tools that contain non-existent judgments. The court has now directed the trial court not to proceed on the basis of the advocate-commissioner's report, pending the disposal of the special leave petition. The Supreme Court's move is seen as a significant step to address the issue of AI-generated verdicts and ensure the integrity of the judicial process. The court will examine the matter in detail and explore the consequences and accountability of relying on such fake judgments.