Judges and Magistrates in Peru and Mexico Have ChatGPT Fever
The use of technology in the judicial system is gaining popularity in Latin America, as evidenced by the recent cases of judges and magistrates in Peru and Mexico using OpenAI’s ChatGPT. However, the cases bring up concerns regarding the lack of transparency and knowledge about how the system works.
In the Peruvian case, the judge used ChatGPT to calculate the value of child support obligations in a second instance case. However, he did not reveal the prompts he used or the answers he received from the system, and included a URL in the ruling that offered no clue about his ChatGPT query. The judge's lack of transparency and apparent unfamiliarity with the limitations and risks of using large language models like ChatGPT is problematic.
In the Mexican case, the magistrate used ChatGPT on his phone during a hearing to illustrate how a ruling could be motivated. He even made additional queries to ChatGPT and referenced them during the hearing. While the magistrate argued that the courts of first instance should offer arguments and reasons to justify their rulings, his implicit invitation to use systems like ChatGPT to draft judicial rulings raises questions about the potential consequences of relying too heavily on technology in the judicial system.
While the use of technology in the judicial system can be beneficial, it is important for judges and magistrates to take greater care and ensure transparency in their use of large language models like ChatGPT. They must also be aware of the limitations and risks involved in relying too much on technology in their decision-making processes.
