Artificial intelligence is increasingly involved in decisions once reserved for humans, and its impact will hinge on ethical, legal, and political frameworks that keep technology accountable to human dignity, democratic legitimacy, and constitutional values.

During a six-day visit to the UK, the Chief Justice of India highlights AI’s potential to strengthen justice administration through tools for legal research, case management, translation, transcription, document classification, and precedent identification.

The Chief Justice of India asserts that AI is now an operational reality, actively shaping governance, commerce, warfare, public administration, and the judiciary.

These remarks were delivered in a public lecture at Birkbeck College, University of London, as part of the CJI’s six-day UK visit, underscoring cross-border dialogue on AI and international law.

At the event, an attendee pressed a question about dissent in India, but the organizer declined to take it, citing the session’s focus on AI and international law.

Speaking at Birkbeck College, the CJI stressed that regulatory choices in this decade will shape the future of technology, power, and justice.

The CJI noted that AI’s impact depends on the legal, moral, and political structures societies build, rather than labeling AI as simply good or bad.

Looking ahead, AI’s future will be driven by innovation plus the legal and moral choices of society, with a risk that fragmented responsibility could make accountability illusory.

The speaker warns that fragmented responsibility could erode accountability as decision-making is mediated by algorithms, underscoring the need for clear legal mechanisms of accountability.

He concludes that responsibility must be identifiable and non-fragmented, or accountability risks becoming illusory, and humanity must retain authorship of governing principles amid intelligent machines.

A core international-law challenge is whether doctrines on sovereignty, human rights, and enforceability can adapt to algorithmic power given AI’s global, cross-border architecture.

The CJI cautions that humanity must retain authorship of governing principles, as AI could either widen the democratic deficit or reinforce democratic values if legal frameworks are robust.