Court is Now in Session... and the Judge Might Be a Robot?! Once upon a time, Artificial Intelligence was just helping us skip ads, write emails, and guess what we want for dinner. Fast forward to today, and it's walking into the courtroom wearing virtual robes. AI tech that’s not just assisting the justice system, but possibly eyeing the judge’s chair. So now the big question isn’t “Can AI help in court?” it’s more like…Justice just got a software update and we’re all witnesses.

On 20th August 2025, as part of the India@100 & India in Focus series, the Indian Society for Universal Dialogue (ISUD) hosted the Freshers’ Debate and Blog Writing Competition on the thought-provoking theme “CourtGPT: Can Courtrooms Be Replaced by AI?” an initiative curated to encourage young legal minds to explore the dynamic intersection between law and technology.

 

The competition invited the first-year students of the five-year law programme of School of Excellence in Law to express their perspectives on how AI could transform the justice delivery system, and the ethical, constitutional and procedural dimensions it entails. It stood as a call for introspection whether automation could ever embody empathy, discretion, and moral reasoning that lie at the heart of human adjudication.

 

Participants explored sub-themes ranging from bias in algorithmic decision-making, cybersecurity in AI-driven courts, transparency obligations in legal submissions, to the role of human judges in an AI-powered legal system. Each submission reflected a unique blend of legal reasoning, policy insight, and philosophical depth all within a concise and creative legal writing format.

 

The competition saw an overwhelming response, showcasing the enthusiasm and intellectual vigour of freshers stepping into the world of law.