AI in criminal justice system must be vetted for biases: CJI Chandrachud

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has said that even if India plans to use AI in the criminal justice system, it must be wary of systematic biases due to the nature of data fed to the system.

Chandrachud said the algorithm biases or systematic inequalities in the criminal justice system could propagate the same biases and end up targeting neighborhoods of marginalised communities, Bar and Bench reported. 

"If historical crime data used to train these algorithms reflect biases or systemic inequalities in the criminal justice system, the algorithms may perpetuate these biases by targeting the same neighborhoods as 'high-risk' areas for future crime," the CJI said at the 11th Annual Conference of the Berkeley Centre for Comparative Equality and Antidiscrimination Law.

"This can result in disproportionate surveillance and policing of already marginalised communities, exacerbating social inequalities and perpetuating cycles of discrimination," he said.

The CJI was delivering a keynote at the conference on the topic 'Is there Hope for Equality Law?' organised by the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru.

He added that the principle of "contextualization" becomes paramount in dealing with AI challenges in diverse contexts like India.

India's rich demographic patterns, characterised by linguistic diversity, regional variations, and cultural nuances, present a unique set of challenges and opportunities for AI deployment, he said.

"We need to be vigilant about the origins of data and its potential biases, scrutinise the algorithms we employ for transparency and fairness, and actively seek to mitigate any unintended discriminatory effects," he said.

The CJI said that climate change expands the inequities faced by marginalized, rendering them at heightened risks from climate change, including displacement health inequities, and food scarcity.

"Inequality thus becomes both a cause and consequence of climate change," he said.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. Image Source: Wikipedia