Italian appeals court upholds verdict involving AI chatbot use

An appeals court in Cagliari has upheld a ruling by a justice of the peace in Oristano, Sardinia, after a controversial verdict was found to contain a transcript of a dialogue with an AI chatbot. The original ruling, which involved a civil case against a company, included text from the algorithm stating, “Perfect. I am at your disposal. I will construct a paragraph in the style of a judgment, according to the approach you want to adopt and technically correct.”

Lawyers for the convicted company appealed the decision, labeling the use of artificial intelligence as an “obvious abuse.” However, the court ruled that while the interaction with a chatbot was confirmed, it did not prove that the judge delegated the interpretation of law, the evaluation of evidence, or the final decision-making process to the algorithm.

The court characterized the role of AI in the case as marginal, serving as support rather than a replacement for judicial functions. The ruling emphasized that while AI can provide real support, legal functions reserved exclusively for judges, such as issuing judgments, cannot be delegated to artificial intelligence.