ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN JUDICIAL MANAGEMENT: APPLICATIONS, ETHICS, RISKS AND A POLISH PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Motivation: The integration of AI into judicial systems is rapidly transforming court administration, case management, and decision support. While these innovations promise efficiency gains and improved access to justice, they also introduce complex ethical, governance, and institutional risk challenges that appear to remain underexplored, particularly in Poland’s transitional judiciary. Aim: This systematic literature review examines global and Polish-focused scholarship to identify gaps in current research and synthesise major themes in AI applications for judicial management. It aims to provide a high-level overview of international developments and regulatory frameworks at the global and EU levels. It explores associated ethical and legal considerations as well as implementation risks. Finally, the review looks into best practices and potential pitfalls of AI deployment in courts. Results: Three overarching themes emerge. First, AI applications in judicial management encompass automated case triage, predictive analytics for sentencing, and document and workflow automation. Second, ethical and governance considerations focus on such areas as transparency and explainability, algorithmic bias mitigation, and accountability frameworks that preserve human oversight. Third, institutional risks include data privacy vulnerabilities, unclear liability and regulatory gaps, and capacity constraints within court infrastructures. Across these themes, the Polish context highlights barriers such as limited digital infrastructure, evolving legal frameworks, and the need for specialised training of judicial personnel.