ISLAMABAD: Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, a Judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), wrote a letter to IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in judicial decision-making.
Justice Ejaz addressed the letter to Justice Dogar following a recent Full Court meeting that discussed the potential integration of AI into the judicial system.
The IHC judge expressed deep concerns about delegating judicial decision-making to artificial intelligence, stating that while AI technology can assist in legal research and case management, it lacks the essential elements of conscience, morality, and independent judgment that define human adjudication.
He endorsed the dissenting views expressed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Saman Riffat Imtiaz in the Full Court meeting, which was held on September 3.
In his letter, the judge wrote that the global debate around AI in the judiciary has two sides — supporters who see it as a tool for efficiency and opponents who warn of its ethical and moral limitations. He aligned himself with the latter, noting that programmable systems cannot form “independent opinions.”
He cautioned that “the decisions of robot or computer judges will always remain subject to the programs fed into them from time to time,” warning that such systems would inherently lack human conscience and moral insight.
Justice Ishaq revealed that he previously did not share this scepticism. However, his perspective shifted following the recent full court discussion on AI’s role in the judiciary. He added that now he agreed with those opposing AI as a decision-maker in judicial proceedings.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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