AI cannot replace human judgment in legal practice — Supreme Court nominee
Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Thursday, August 27, 2026, Mr Forson said AI can support legal work, but cannot replace the human lawyer.
Supreme Court nominee Anthony Forson Jnr. has warned lawyers not to treat artificial intelligence as a substitute for legal knowledge and professional judgment.
Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Thursday, August 27, 2026, Mr Forson said AI can support legal work, but cannot replace the human lawyer.
He said the technology may help practitioners conduct research faster and work more efficiently.
However, he cautioned that lawyers who use AI without a proper understanding of the law risk being misled by inaccurate or incomplete information.
“It is an aid, because AI can never replace the human being,” he said.
Mr Forson said lawyers must first understand legal principles before relying on AI tools.
According to him, that knowledge is necessary to assess whether the information generated by AI is correct and useful.
He said AI could make legal practice faster and more economically efficient when used properly.
“With your good understanding of the law, it will assist you to work very fast. And it is economically much more viable but it can never replace the human effort,” he added.
The Supreme Court nominee said human expertise, judgment and responsibility remain central to the legal profession.
He stressed that even as AI becomes more common in professional services, lawyers must continue to exercise independent thinking and ethical responsibility in their work.
