As Malaysia tests AI court sentencing, some lawyers fear for justice

The Kuala Lumpur High Court. This month, Malaysian federal authorities aim to conclude their nationwide trial of the AI sentencing tools, which they have said ‘can improve the quality of judgment’, though it is not entirely clear how they will be used in courts. — ART CHEN/The Star

BANGKOK: Few cases ruffle Hamid Ismail after nearly two decades as a lawyer, but he was taken aback when a man he defended was sentenced with the help of an artificial intelligence tool in the Malaysian state of Sabah.

Ismail knew courts in Sabah and neighbouring Sarawak were testing the AI tool for sentencing recommendations as part of a nationwide pilot, but was uneasy that the technology was being used before lawyers, judges and the public fully understood it.