AI is showing up in court cases – but only a human jury can grapple with the moral weight of assessing guilt

AI is making its way into the courtroom, but it can never replicate the moral legitimacy of a human jury.

By: Sonali Chakravarti, Wesleyan University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: May 5, 2026

Words: 1,270

Last Updated: 2 months, 3 weeks ago

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By Sonali Chakravarti, Wesleyan University

“Mercy,” a film released in January 2026, depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in the near future: a city riddled with violence, homelessness and civic disorder. California’s response is to set up the Mercy Capital Court, run entirely by an AI bot that goes by the name Judge Maddox. The judge can analyze evidence, determine whether the threshold for guilt has been met and execute the defendant – all in a …

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