The Social Dignity of the Judiciary in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

In recent years, the question of human dignity has taken on a greater significance with the development of artificial intelligence, especially those systems put in the service of replacing certain tasks traditionally associated with human dignity. In the philosophical literature, there has been a focus on the ways that robotics and AI will change the caring professions in ways that make the lives of vulnerable people and their caregivers less dignified (Vallor 2011). Within this literature, there emerges the distinct concept of social dignity (Killmister 2021). To this point, much of the debate around AI and social dignity has been limited to the use of carebots in the service of the seriously ill or older adults experiencing loneliness and isolation. Further, debates regarding the use of ML/AI assessment tools in law have focused on the impacts and harms they pose for the accused (and for good reason). However, there are other aspects of human dignity that are affected by the introduction of AI that warrant exploration in addition to the questions related to the appropriate treatment of vulnerable people. We are specifically interested in the social dignity related to people who occupy special roles or professions in society. In this paper we will examine the dignity associated with the judiciary, but similar considerations apply to the dignity of educators, medical professionals, and other occupants of socially significant roles.