Key takeaways
- Judicial validation of AI as a technical tool: The Court endorsed the use of AI for calculating bond amounts in injunction proceedings, without replacing judicial discretion.
- Transparency: AI enables step-by-step traceability in calculations, allowing judges to rely on verifiable data.
- Consistency and efficiency: The use of AI encourages standardization in the determination of guarantees and optimizes judicial resources.
- Pathway to broader adoption: This decision sets a precedent for the expanded use of AI in jurisdictional processes, aligning with digital justice principles.
- Ethical use of AI in judicial processes: Judges must apply artificial intelligence tools observing four minimum principles: proportionality and harmlessness, protection of personal data, transparency and applicability, and humane supervision and decision-making. This guarantees a responsible application with a human rights perspective.
In-depth
This case arose from an inheritance dispute in which the estate administrators filed an amparo action (constitutional relief) to protect two plots of land included in the estate. Upon their request to record the lawsuit in the public registry, the judge ordered them to post a bond. The administrators challenged this order, arguing that the calculation of the bond lacked objective criteria.
The Circuit Court in the State of Mexico decided that Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be used as a tool to calculate bond amounts in injunction proceedings — typically determined based on the potential harm to be caused to the counterparty and the damages that may result from granting the injunction.
The Court emphasized that AI serves as a tool to decide on ancillary aspects, without replacing judicial discretion or legal analysis. The ruling highlighted several benefits, such as:
- Decrease human error in complex calculations.
- Enhanced transparency, with step-by-step visibility on the results.
- Consistency and standardization in the determination of bond amounts.
- Procedural efficiency, allowing judges to focus on substantive legal issues of the case.
Likewise, the Circuit Court determined that in the absence of a specific regulation, the use of artificial intelligence in judicial proceedings must be governed by minimum principles that guarantee its ethical application and with a human rights perspective. Therefore, it was determined that judges must ensure that these tools are used in a proportional and safe manner, protecting personal data, being transparent in their operation and results, and always maintaining human supervision and decision as central elements of the jurisdictional process.
This decision not only validates the use of AI in calculating bonds for legal proceedings but also opens the door to its application in other proceedings. Particularly where AI can support judicial considerations without compromising core legal functions.
