How AI-Adjudication Disrupts Law’s Ability to Facilitate Moral Perceptual Progress

Several philosophers of law have been drawing attention to the role of <i>moral perception</i> in modern legal practices. While perception-oriented approaches to law represent a minority view, I show that they offer a fruitful perspective on what is at stake with the emergence of Artificial Legal Intelligence (ALI). Specifically, I argue that facilitating <i>moral perceptual progress</i> is one of modern law's vital aspirations, baked into its <i>origin story</i> as well as some of its <i>content</i> and <i>processes</i>. I argue that this aspiration threatens to be disrupted by ALI, which increasingly permeates the space of modern law. While my argument lands on a predominantly pessimistic assessment of ALI developments, I will conclude by speculating about potential positive ways in which ALI technologies may also support moral perceptual process.

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Publication Details

Journal
Minds and Machines
Published
2026-03-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-026-09769-w
Primary Topic
Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

How AI-Adjudication Disrupts Law’s Ability to Facilitate Moral Perceptual Progress

Janna van Grunsven
Minds and Machines
Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
article

How AI-Adjudication Disrupts Law’s Ability to Facilitate Moral Perceptual Progress

Janna van Grunsven
article en

Abstract

Several philosophers of law have been drawing attention to the role of <i>moral perception</i> in modern legal practices. While perception-oriented approaches to law represent a minority view, I show that they offer a fruitful perspective on what is at stake with the emergence of Artificial Legal Intelligence (ALI). Specifically, I argue that facilitating <i>moral perceptual progress</i> is one of modern law's vital aspirations, baked into its <i>origin story</i> as well as some of its <i>content</i> and <i>processes</i>. I argue that this aspiration threatens to be disrupted by ALI, which increasingly permeates the space of modern law. While my argument lands on a predominantly pessimistic assessment of ALI developments, I will conclude by speculating about potential positive ways in which ALI technologies may also support moral perceptual process.

Minds and MachinesVol. 36(1)
Delft University of Technology (NL)
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 40%
Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
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