Would You Trust an AI Judge?
Activity 1 : Spend 4 minutes reading the following text
AI in the Courtroom: Fair or Flawed?
Imagine being in court—and the judge is not a person, but a machine. In Estonia, that’s not science fiction. The government has been experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI) to help resolve small legal cases. Proponents say AI can increase efficiency, reduce costs, and make decisions faster than human judges. However, critics argue that algorithms lack empathy and could reinforce existing biases in legal data.
AI systems are already used in some places to predict reoffending rates or help judges make bail decisions. But this raises ethical questions: Can a machine truly understand context? What happens if the system makes a mistake? And who is responsible—human or machine?
As legal systems evolve, experts agree on one thing: AI may assist in justice, but human oversight will remain crucial. The balance between tech and humanity is still being written.
Activity 2: Complete the True or False below.
Estonia has used AI to help solve legal disputes.
Everyone agrees that AI judges are completely fair.
AI can sometimes be faster and cheaper than human judges.
AI already replaces human judges in criminal trials.
Experts believe humans still need to be involved in AI-assisted justice.
Activity 3: Match the following words to their definitions
Word
1. Empathy
2. Oversight
3. Bias
4. Algorithm
5. Proponent
Meaning
A. A strong supporter of something
B. Understanding others’ feelings
C. Supervision or monitoring of a process
D. A systematic set of rules for solving problems
E. Prejudice for or against something unfairly
Activity 4: Fill the blanks with the vocabulary from Activity 3
The judge showed ________ when listening to the victim's story.
One concern is that AI could reflect ________ already present in the data.
The government plans to introduce stronger human ________ over AI decisions.
A(n) ________ is a step-by-step set of instructions for a task.
She is a strong ________ of using AI to support public services.
Activity 5: Choose one of the following prompts and write a short paragraph (share it below) or record a voice note.
Big Questions (Pick 2–3)
Would you feel comfortable having your traffic fine decided by AI? Why/why not?
Can machines be truly fair, or are humans better because they can feel?
Would you trust AI to grade your school exam or hire someone for a job?
What jobs do you think AI should never replace?
Roleplay (Optional for Advanced Learners)
You are applying for a job. You find out the entire hiring process is automated—AI scans your CV, analyzes your facial expressions, and scores your interview. Your friend is shocked. Have a conversation about whether this is fair or dangerous.
Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash
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