Report: Judges can feel “companionship” with AI tools, potentially easing the loneliness of their role. AI could deepen inequality in the courtroom — wealthy litigants could use expensive AI tools.

Asking ChatGPT-4o: Please read the paper "Artificial Intelligence, the Right to a Fair Trial & the "AI-Equipped-Judges" of the Future" and tell me what it says in easy to understand language. Secondly, list the most surprising, controversial and valuable statements made and list all lessons that all relevant stakeholders should be learning on the basis of this report.

ChatGPT-4o’s answer:
Here's an easy-to-understand summary of the paper "Artificial Intelligence, the Right to a Fair Trial & the 'AI-Equipped Judges' of the Future" and a breakdown of its most surprising, controversial, and valuable insights, followed by lessons for all stakeholders:

🧠 EASY SUMMARY

This paper argues AI should support judges, not replace them. The idea is to have a “judge-in-the-loop” — a human judge making the final call, with AI offering research, analysis, and even drafting help.

Three types of AI-judge roles are introduced:

1. Argument Developer AI: Helps judges build legal arguments by analyzing laws and past cases.

2. Supervised E-Judge: Drafts judgments that the human judge reviews and finalizes.

3. Autonomous AI Judge: Decides small or routine cases on its own (e.g., traffic fines), but this is the most controversial.

They explore how these roles fit within Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which guarantees the right to a fair trial. Some AI roles may help ensure fairness (like speeding up cases), but others risk undermining critical principles like transparency, public hearings, and the judge’s independence.

⚡️ MOST SURPRISING STATEMENTS

• Judges can feel “companionship” with AI tools, potentially easing the loneliness of their role.

• AI may make judges “super judges,” amplifying their influence through enhanced reasoning, multilingual reach, and increased productivity.

• AI can be used to detect human judges’ unconscious biases — such as more lenient decisions after lunch — and correct for them.

🚨 MOST CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENTS

• Fully autonomous robot judges may violate fundamental human rights. For example, a robot judge can’t conduct a proper public hearing or explain its reasoning in a way that enables appeals.

• Judicial legitimacy may suffer if decisions are made by or overly reliant on AI systems that are closed-source or developed by private companies.

• AI could deepen inequality in the courtroom — wealthy litigants could use expensive AI tools to their advantage, while others are left behind.

💎 MOST VALUABLE STATEMENTS

• The judge-in-the-loop model ensures human discretion, empathy, and transparency remain central to justice, while benefiting from AI's support.

• Transparency and explainability are non-negotiable. If AI is used in court, everyone involved must understand how it works — especially the parties in a trial.

• The EU AI Act and Council of Europe AI Framework emphasize strict safeguards when AI is used in judicial contexts, marking a global standard.

🎓 LESSONS FOR STAKEHOLDERS

🧑‍⚖️ Judges & Courts

• Embrace AI for research and drafting but retain final authority.

• Insist on explainable and contestable AI systems.

• Use AI to improve consistency, not replace discretion or empathy.

👩‍💼 Legal Practitioners

• Learn how AI works to argue for or against its use in trials.

• Be ready to challenge algorithmic decisions — especially if AI affects sentencing, risk assessment, or legal reasoning.

🧑‍💻 AI Developers

• Build transparent, auditable, and fair systems.

• Design with human rights law in mind, especially fairness, impartiality, and access to justice.

• Avoid “black box” systems for judicial applications.

🏛️ Policymakers & Regulators

• Ban fully autonomous AI judges for now — current tech cannot meet fair trial standards.

• Require impact assessments, public oversight, and opt-out rights for litigants.

• Ensure equal access to AI tools to prevent justice inequality.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 General Public

• Be aware of your right to a human judge.

• Demand transparency and fairness if AI is involved in your legal proceedings.