The Supreme Court is embracing new technologies to make court services faster and more accessible while putting safeguards in place to protect the integrity of court decisions.
In an interview with Bilyonaryo News Channel’s At The Forefront with Atty. Karen Jimeno, SC spokesperson Atty. Camille Sue Mae Ting cited the judiciary’s latest innovations, including electronic notarization, the upgraded eCourt system and a framework governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Ting said electronic notarization or e-notarization will be available to the public starting Oct. 19 this year allowing certain documents to be notarized without requiring the signatory to physically appear before a notary public.
Under the system, documents may be in electronic formats such as PDF or PDF-A, while the person signing may appear before the notary through video conferencing.
A hybrid option will also be available allowing a person to appear physically before the notary while having an electronic document notarized.
Ting said the system includes safeguards to verify the authenticity of electronically notarized documents.
A notarial seal similar to that found on physical documents will appear on the electronic document, along with a QR code that can be scanned to authenticate it.
The system is also expected to address concerns over the manipulation of electronic documents particularly with the growing use of AI tools that can alter or fabricate documents.
Ting also discussed eCourt PH 2.0, which is being implemented at the SC and pilot-tested in selected trial courts.
The system allows lawyers and litigants to file pleadings online instead of physically going to court.
“When you file a pleading, you don’t have to go to the court and file it physically. All you have to do is log in to the eCourt application online and upload your pleading,” Ting said.
The system also features an e-rollo, where pleadings are digitalized.
Ting said eCourt can help reduce delays associated with the traditional filing and service of court documents.
Previously, court pleadings and notices were commonly sent through registered mail or couriers, which could take weeks or even months depending on the location of the parties.
With eCourt, parties are notified once a pleading or court issuance has been uploaded to the system.
The digital system also reduces the need to print, photocopy and physically transport bulky court documents.
As AI becomes increasingly used by lawyers and other professionals, Ting said the SC has established an AI governance framework regulating its use within the judiciary.
She stressed that AI cannot be used to generate judicial decisions.
“When it comes to decisions, adjudication, it still has to be the judge who will be drafting all of this. So, you cannot use AI to generate a decision,” Ting said.
Any use of AI by judges must also be authorized by the SC committee overseeing the technology.
“They have to disclose. They have to get authority from the court to use AI in helping write a decision,” Ting said.
Ting said the safeguards are intended to protect the integrity of judicial decisions particularly against errors or AI-generated “hallucinations.”
She also cited Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo’s position that technology should assist, not replace, human judgment.
“But again, the Chief Justice, Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, he always says that AI should never replace human judgment,” Ting said.#