SC eyes AI tools to fast-track aging cases

THE SUPREME COURT (SC) on Wednesday said it is keen on taking advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to keep tabs on clearing case backlogs but maintained it will not rely too heavily on these to decide on lawsuits.

“We would like to make sure that our judges and eventually our justices would be able to monitor the progress of their cases so that aging cases can be given priority,” SC Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva said at a Senate finance committee hearing on Judiciary’s proposed budget of P84.38 billion for next year.

“AI in so far as providing us with data for policy and decision making, with respect to coming up with draft decisions, can be utilized.” 

Under the proposed budget, P625 million would be used to upgrade the electronic court information system, and P379 million for information communication technology requirements.

SC Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez said the High Court will not be entirely dependent on AI, noting it should only be used to countercheck the decision-making process.

“These should not be left to the control of AI because the court is not just a court of law, but it is also a court of equity where there is humanity involved in the disposition,” he said at the same hearing. 

Under the tribunal’s Strategic Plan for Judiciary Innovations 2022-2027, the court will implement an electronic filing system that will let magistrates and other court personnel view case records online.

It also aims to implement an online payment portal for legal docket fees through digital wallets and major banks.

From January to June this year, the High Court disposed of 2,858 cases, which is 48% of its goal of 6,000 cases this year.

In its 2023 year-end report, the SC noted that as of end-September 2023, it registered a total case output of 3,711 cases, with a clearance rate of 84% and a disposition rate of 21%. This is up from 19% in the previous year. — John Victor D. Ordoñez