ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) is no longer a matter of choice but a necessary advancement to strengthen judicial decision-making and enhance access to justice, a top judicial official has declared.

Judge Dr Adam Mambi, presiding at the Tabora Zone of the High Court, made this affirmation during a training session for judges, deputy registrars and court administrators based in the Lake Zone, highlighting the growing importance of AI in modern courtrooms.

He shared practical insights into how AI can support legal research, streamline court operations and reduce case backlogs, urging members of the judiciary and legal stakeholders to embrace AI tools in their daily operations.

“AI is a powerful tool that can help judges, magistrates, and legal officers deliver timely, accurate and well-reasoned judgments,” he said, noting that integrating AI into judicial systems is not just a trend but an inevitable evolution.

He cited tools such as Quillbot, which aids in summarising legal texts, drafting or reviewing decisions for grammatical consistency. “If you want to summarise or cite a law, Quillbot can assist, and it can even scan your judgment for minor errors,” he explained.

Institutions such as land tribunals and the Commission for Mediation and Arbitration (CMA) have already started using AI to support decision-making processes, he pointed out, noting that case backlog will be eased as AI tools can help detect potential delays and guide the court to resolve cases more swiftly.

That will help prevent justice from being delayed as AI can also analyse contracts to detect loopholes, or even predict possible outcomes of a case, thus offering valuable insights to courts, government and private lawyers alike, he elaborated.

He commended the Judiciary for significant strides in digital transformation, citing the use of the transcription and translation System (TTS), which records witness testimony and legal arguments in real time.

Urging legal stakeholders to allocate budgets for acquiring AI tools to make justice more affordable and accessible, he cautioned judges and magistrates against over-reliance on AI.

They should not depend 100 percent on AI as it only works with the data it is fed, he said, underlining that ultimately judges and magistrates need to verify and fully own their decisions.

He pointed at the importance of data protection, noting that legal professionals need to safeguard the confidentiality of client information especially in family, inheritance and juvenile cases.

“Courts and all legal stakeholders have a responsibility to protect personal data—be it from spouses, children or inheritance cases. These must be handled with utmost confidentiality,” he stressed.

While AI can help detect and prevent crime—including being used in electronic evidence—it also poses cyber security risks. “Despite its benefits, AI can be exploited to commit cybercrime, so caution is needed,” he remarked.

The training was organised by the Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA) in collaboration with the High Court’s labour division, to equip participants to cope with the changing world of work and to promote peaceful, safe and productive working environments in the justice sector.