The role of artificial intelligence in legal proceedings: an auxiliary tool or an element of decision-making?

This article is devoted to the analysis of the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in legal proceedings and the definition of its possible place in the modern judicial system. The main directions of application of AI technologies in the legal field are considered, including the analysis of judicial practice, detection of procedural violations, automation of preparation of legal documents, processing of evidence and automatic logging of court sessions. Special attention is paid to two approaches to the use of AI: as an auxiliary tool and as a possible element of judicial decision-making. The paper analyzes the advantages of implementing intelligent systems, as well as the potential risks associated with their use, such as the opacity of algorithms, the possibility of errors, discrimination, legal uncertainty of responsibility and violation of the principle of humanity. The opinions of experts and representatives of the judicial and legal system regarding the acceptable limits of the use of AI in justice are considered. It is concluded that at the present stage it is most appropriate to use AI as an auxiliary tool, while maintaining the key role of humans in the judicial decision-making process.