Indian Supreme Court adopts AI for live proceeding transcription.

During the constitution bench hearing on the Maharashtra political controversy, an AI model was employed to convert court arguments into textual form in real-time.

In a groundbreaking move, the Supreme Court of India utilized AI software to initiate live transcription of hearings last week. The technology, developed by the Bangalore-based startup Technology Enabled Resolution (TERES), was employed during the constitution bench hearing on the Maharashtra political controversy to translate court arguments into text in real-time.

Minister of Law and Justice of India, Kiran Rijiju, congratulated Chief Justice DY Chandrachud for this initiative, highlighting its importance in modernizing the judiciary. Rijiju noted in a tweet that the use of AI in transcribing hearings allows the Supreme Court to officially publish the transcript of Constitution Bench proceedings, enhancing accountability and ensuring accurate documentation.

The initiative, supported by legal experts, marks the beginning of judiciary modernization through AI-powered legal transcription. The startup TERES, founded by tech enthusiasts Vikas Mahendra, Vinay Mahendra, and Badarivishal Kinhal, successfully piloted the project. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud approached them to trial the transcription for the constitution court, with the first judicial record being made public on February 21, 2023. The AI system has garnered positive responses from high courts in Kerala, Odisha, and Karnataka.

The developers believe that the AI-based transcription benefits all parties involved in the hearings, promoting caution and carefulness in presenting cases and monitoring prohibited practices, such as the use of sarcasm, by judges. The system's efficiency in handling multi-day hearings is seen as a win-win situation, providing attorneys with streamlined access to their notes for review.