AI-Assisted Judicial System 'Smart Judge' Launches in Hangzhou: Case Processing Efficiency Triples

Hangzhou's Intermediate People's Court has launched "Smart Judge," an AI-assisted judicial system that handles preliminary case analysis, evidence cross-referencing, and sentencing recommendation for civil disputes. In its first month of operation, the system processed over 4,200 cases — tripling the court's previous throughput.

Smart Judge reviews submitted evidence, identifies relevant legal precedents, and drafts preliminary rulings for human judges to review and finalize. The system does not issue binding decisions. Court officials report that judges accept Smart Judge's recommendations without modification in approximately 68% of routine civil cases, while spending 70% less time per case on average.

Legal ethicists have raised concerns about transparency and the potential for algorithmic bias in sentencing recommendations. The court has committed to publishing quarterly audits of the system's outputs.