In a first-of-its-kind move, the Kerala High Court has issued a detailed policy on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools by members of the district judiciary and their staff. The landmark guidelines strictly prohibit judges from using AI for judicial decision-making, including arriving at any “findings, reliefs, order or judgment under any circumstances.”
The High Court’s new policy, which marks a significant step in regulating the use of emerging technologies in India’s judiciary, emphasizes that AI must “never be a substitute for decision-making or legal reasoning.”
Under the guidelines, cloud-based services such as ChatGPT and Deepseek are expressly barred unless specifically approved by the High Court or the Supreme Court. The move is aimed at protecting privacy, ensuring transparency, and upholding judicial accountability.
The Court stated, “It shall be the obligation of the members of the judiciary and employees assisting them to ensure that any AI tool they use for official purposes adheres to the integral principles of transparency, fairness, accountability and protection of confidentiality.”
Even for approved AI tools, the Court has directed extreme caution. Outputs—especially legal citations, references, or translations—must be verified by qualified translators or the judges themselves. Routine administrative use, such as scheduling or court management, is allowed but must always be under human supervision.
Judicial officers and their staff are also mandated to attend training sessions organized by the Kerala Judicial Academy or the High Court on “the ethical, legal, technical and practical aspects of AI.” Any errors generated by AI tools must be reported promptly and escalated to the High Court’s IT department for review.
Importantly, the policy extends to interns and law clerks working with the district judiciary, ensuring uniform compliance across all levels.
Kerala’s judiciary now also requires courts to maintain a detailed audit of every instance where AI is used, including the tools involved and the human verification measures adopted.
This move by the Kerala High Court is expected to set a precedent for other High Courts and judicial bodies across the country.
