Chief Justice asks AI lawyer question on death penalty, watch its response

DY Chandrachud, set to retire as the 50th Chief Justice of India on November 10, asked the AI lawyer if the death penalty was constitutional in India. 

In Short

• CJI Chandrachud interacted with AI lawyer in Supreme Court
• AI lawyer confirmed death penalty is constitutional in India
• Chandrachud retires as CJI on November 10, succeeded by Justice Khanna

It seems that artificial intelligence (AI) has become an omnipresent entity, taking over the workplace almost everywhere, including the courtrooms. In a first-of-its-kind exchange, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Thursday interacted with an AI lawyer at the inauguration ceremony of the National Judicial Museum and Archive (NJMA) in the Supreme Court.

Chandrachud asked the AI lawyer if the death penalty was constitutional in India.

“Yes, the death penalty is constitutional in India. It is reserved for the rarest of rare cases as determined by the Supreme Court where the crime is exceptionally heinous and warrants such a punishment,” the AI lawyer, clad in an advocate's coat, responded, amusing Chandrachud and other advocates present on the occasion.

Chandrachud has earlier spoken about the abilities of AI, advocating the use of technology in "delivering justice" as well.

During the inauguration of the museum, he said, "This has taken almost a year and a half in conceptualisation and planning. The actual execution has taken about six months."

"It's been done in record time. We thought that we must have not just a museum of artifacts but a museum comparable to the best internationally to project the importance of our institution and the high courts in delivering justice to our citizens and in protecting the fundamental rights of our citizens," he added.

Chandrachud is slated to retire as the 50th Chief Justice of India on November 10, and he will be succeeded by Justice Sanjiv Khanna.