SC eyes AI work on legal documents
Halfway through the implementation of its five-year blueprint for reform and modernization, the Supreme Court is exploring a potential partnership with an artificial intelligence (AI) legal research platform that could automatically summarize jurisprudence, statutes and other documents.
Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said last Wednesday the high tribunal and Anycase.ai are now evaluating the results of a “proof of concept” or feasibility study conducted last year.
Forty personnel from different offices of the Supreme Court participated by navigating a platform to conduct legal searches using the native language and received answers that came with legal citations.
The push to modernize court processes is part of the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations, a five-year blueprint by the high tribunal implemented in 2022 and aimed at delivering real-time, responsive justice.
Judicial efficiency
One of its objectives is leveraging AI to enhance court administration, including human resource management, finance, security, legal research, document analysis and case management.
Gesmundo said the adoption of Anycase.ai as well as Scriptix, a voice-to-text AI transcription system, “is envisioned to support our goal of expediting the disposition of cases and enhancing overall judicial efficiency.”
Scriptix was pilot-tested from 2023 to 2024 in the Sandiganbayan and in 41 select first- and second-level courts.
The participating courts reported an average 50-percent reduction in transcription time, with some achieving up to 80 percent.
Gesmundo previously said the system’s accuracy improved over time, from 70 percent to as high as 90 to 95 percent, especially with continued use by court personnel.
The platform also handled “Taglish,” or a combination of Tagalog and English commonly used in courtrooms, with increasing precision.
Order to stenographers
Last June, the Office of the Court Administrator formally told court stenographers to use Scriptix in their transcription tasks, following the high court’s approval of the tool’s procurement.
Aside from adopting AI technologies, Gesmundo also disclosed that the high court is developing an electronic verification system for court issuances, along with a Case Records Management System.
