Indian judge used ChatGPT in a criminal case

For the first time in India, a judge at the Punjab and Haryana High Court used the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, ChatGPT, to decide on a criminal case. The individual was accused of assault and murder and sought relief from imprisonment during the trial. As such, judge Anoop Chitrkara asked ChatGPT ‘what is the jurisprudence on bail when the assailant assaulted with cruelty?’

The chatbot considered the presumption of innocence and stated that if the accused has been charged with a violent crime that involves cruelty, they may be considered a risk to the community, and thus the judge may be less inclined to grant bail. Judge Chitkara decided that the defendant acted with cruelty and did not grant bail. Additionally, judge Chitkara clarified that the chatbot was not used to determine whether the accused was guilty but merely for his bail.