Malaysia to introduce new rules on AI use in court within next few weeks, says Chief Justice

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 — The judiciary will issue a new practice direction on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by lawyers and court officers in legal proceedings within the next few weeks, says Chief Justice (CJ) Tun Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh.

He said the move came amid concerns over the reliability of AI-generated legal submissions, which could appear convincing despite containing inaccurate information.

“Today, AI can produce submissions that look polished and persuasive, but entirely wrong. On our part, we will issue a practice direction in a few weeks in respect of the usage of AI in legal proceedings,” he said in his keynote address at the International Malaysia Law Conference 2026 here today.

Wan Ahmad Farid stressed that while technology could help accelerate the administration of justice, it should never replace human judgment, particularly when courts are required to exercise judicial discretion.

“Technology can accelerate the administration of justice, but it can never become the author of justice itself. The duty belongs exclusively to us, human custodians of the law,” he said.

Wan Ahmad Farid cited Malaysia’s 2023 reforms abolishing the mandatory death penalty, which allowed judges to consider the circumstances of individual cases instead of being bound by a mandatory death sentence, as an example of the importance of judicial discretion in ensuring fairness.

He noted that said technology could not replicate the human considerations involved in administering justice, particularly when balancing the rights of accused persons with the interests of victims.

“No computer programme can look into the eyes of a victim and offer vindication, nor can it look at an accused person and temper justice with mercy,” he said.

The CJ also reminded judges and legal practitioners of the importance of intellectual honesty, particularly as technology continued to transform the legal profession.

For judges, he said, this meant ensuring that judgments reflected a proper appreciation of the facts and law, including addressing arguments that challenged their conclusions.

Lawyers, meanwhile, must ensure that legal authorities were cited accurately and that clients were given honest advice, particularly when the legal position remained uncertain.

Wan Ahmad Farid said judges must decide cases based on the law and evidence without yielding to public pressure or external influence.

Speaking to reporters, the top judge said that the new practice direction would apply to legal practitioners and court officers, while judges already had their own guidelines governing the use of AI.

“We are not going to discourage them. We are encouraging them, but there has to be a guideline for them to follow. It could help expedite court proceedings and save valuable time for judges and lawyers, provided the technology is used responsibly,” he said.

However, he cautioned against excessive reliance on AI, which could undermine human reasoning and critical thinking. — Bernama

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吉隆坡，10 月 28 日讯——首席大法官敦旺艾哈迈德·法里德·旺萨利赫表示，司法部门将在未来几周内发布一项关于律师和法院工作人员在法律程序中使用人工智能（AI）的新实践指南。

他表示，此举源于人们对人工智能生成的法律文件的可靠性的担忧，这些文件虽然包含不准确的信息，但看起来却可能令人信服。

“如今，人工智能可以生成看起来精美且具有说服力，但完全错误的证据材料。我们将在几周内发布关于在法律诉讼中使用人工智能的实践指南，”他在今天于此举行的2026年马来西亚国际法律大会上发表主旨演讲时说道。

万·艾哈迈德·法里德强调，虽然科技可以帮助加快司法进程，但绝不能取代人类的判断，尤其是在法院需要行使司法裁量权的情况下。

“科技可以加快司法进程，但它永远无法成为司法本身的创造者。这项职责完全属于我们人类，法律的守护者，”他说道。

万·艾哈迈德·法里德以马来西亚 2023 年的改革为例，废除了强制性死刑，允许法官考虑个案的具体情况，而不是受强制性死刑判决的约束，以此说明司法自由裁量权在确保公平方面的重要性。

他指出，该技术无法复制司法过程中涉及的人为因素，尤其是在平衡被告人的权利与受害者的利益时。

他说：“没有任何电脑程序能够直视受害者的眼睛来伸冤，也无法直视被告的眼睛来宽恕他们。”

首席大法官还提醒法官和法律从业人员，要重视知识诚信，尤其是在科技不断改变法律行业的情况下。

他表示，对于法官而言，这意味着要确保判决反映出对事实和法律的正确理解，包括回应挑战其结论的论点。

与此同时，律师必须确保准确引用法律权威，并向客户提供诚实的建议，尤其是在法律立场尚不明确的情况下。

万·艾哈迈德·法里德表示，法官必须依法依据、根据证据审理案件，不得屈服于公众压力或外部影响。

这位首席法官在接受记者采访时表示，新的实践指南将适用于法律从业人员和法院工作人员，而法官们已经有了自己的人工智能使用指南。

“我们不会阻止他们这样做，反而会鼓励他们，但必须有相应的指导方针供他们遵循。如果这项技术得到负责任的使用，就能帮助加快法庭审理程序，为法官和律师节省宝贵的时间。”他说道。

然而，他警告不要过度依赖人工智能，这可能会削弱人类的推理和批判性思维。——马新社

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