Colombian Judge Seeks Advice from OpenAI's ChatGPT Before Delivering a Ruling

A Colombian judge sought the advice of OpenAI's wildly popular ChatGPT to resolve a children's medical case, according to a report by local radio station Blu Radio.

Many experts are already claiming that ChatGPT is the next big thing. Its application to law may indicate the vast applications of this AI tech.

Law 2213

According to Judge Manuel Padilla García, he used ChatGPT before delivering a ruling on Jan. 31. His move is considered legal because it applied Law 2213, which states that virtual tools may be utilized in certain cases.

He asked the AI bot if an autistic minor should be exonerated from paying fees for their therapies. ChatGPT answered by saying that this is correct because laws in Colombia indicated that autistic minors are exempt from paying therapy fees.

"Judges need to be aware of the evolution of justice and technology. Since the pandemic, in Colombia, we began to implement technologies in the courts and this is a huge window, today it could be ChatGPT, but later more tools may emerge for judges to use," Garcia said in a statement with Blu Radio (translated by Google).

He added that the AI tool could help judges like him make understandable sentences with good writing.

He also believes that ChatGPT may save time for judges about to deliver a decision, which is why the law allows tools like ChatGPT to be used in the justice sector of Colombia.

"Even, ChatGPT can anticipate the decision that a court can make, since they are supported by the principle of equality in the use of precedents, that is, it serves as a parameter to precede this decision," García added.

He argues that using this tool does not make judges lazy and that their decision will remain independent.

The move marks the first sentence at Colombia's national level to use artificial intelligence. However, Garcia clarified that his ruling was completely personal, private, and independent.

He also believes that judges can continue to rely on tools like ChatGPT to help them in their ruling, especially in writing logical and concise sentences.

"Not Responsible or Ethical"

An expert in AI regulation and governance, Professor Juan David Gutierrez of Rosario University, does not approve of Garcia's move to use ChatGPT.

He said on Twitter that "it is certainly not responsible or ethical to use ChatGPT as intended by the judge in the ruling in question".

He also claims that ChatGPT "tends" to return incorrect results and does not distinguish fact from fiction. He noted that the tool warns this every time someone enters their queries.

Despite its growing popularity, ChatGPT is still relatively new. According to its developers at OpenAI, its current version is still not meant for anything significant.