How is AI going to impact the future of courts and the justice system?

How is AI going to impact the future of courts and thejustice system? In this episode of Clarity, Ragunath (Raghu) Ramanathan,President of Legal Professionals at Thomson Reuters, speaks with Judge ScottSchlegel of Louisiana’s Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal about the opportunitiesand challenges AI presents for courts. While AI has the potential to improveefficiency, accelerate legal research, assist with document review, and helpcourts manage growing caseloads, Judge Schlegel emphasizes that technology alonewill not transform the justice system. Courts must first modernize foundationalprocesses and workflows before fully realizing AI’s benefits. Throughout thediscussion, he stresses that AI should be used to support judicial work ratherthan replace human decision-making, with judges remaining responsible forapplying legal reasoning, judgment, and oversight.

The conversation also explores some of the most significantrisks facing courts in an AI-driven world. Topics include AI-generatedevidence, deepfakes, voice cloning, hallucinated legal citations, and thegrowing challenge of authenticating digital content. Judge Schlegel argues thatjudges, lawyers, and court systems will need new skills, policies, andsafeguards to evaluate evidence and maintain public trust in the legal system.Looking ahead, he sees AI becoming an increasingly valuable tool for the judiciary,particularly in improving access to justice and court efficiency, but insiststhat human judgment must remain at the center of the justice system.

3 reasons to listen

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1. Understand how AI could improve court efficiencyand access to justice, from legal research and document review to modernizingcourt processes and supporting self-represented litigants.

2. Learn about the risks AI creates for the justicesystem, including deepfakes, voice cloning, AI-generated evidence, andhallucinated legal citations.

3. Hear a judge’s perspective on the future ofcourts, including why human judgment remains essential and how judges andlawyers must adapt to an increasingly AI-enabled legal environment

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Explore how AI could reshape courts while preserving human judgment.