Judges, lawyers and law students were cautioned by Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen against the uncritical use of artificial intelligence (AI), saying technology should enhance, not replace, human judgment.

Leonen said this during the lecture “The Critical Use of AI: Challenges for the Philippine Legal Profession and the Judiciary” at Ateneo de Naga University in Camarines Sur on 12 September 2026. Leonen emphasized that understanding AI is essential to using it responsibly.

The lecture formed part of the SC’s AI Caravan, an initiative led by the Committees on Human-Centered Augmented Intelligence in the Judiciary and on Computerization and Library, both chaired by Leonen.

Addressing judges, local officials, law professors and students, he noted the growing presence of AI in everyday life and professional practice.

“A profession cannot critically use what it does not understand. When we say that artificial intelligence is intelligent, we have to know what we are talking about.”

Leonen said learning about AI is no longer optional for members of the legal profession. “For leaders of our profession and the Judiciary, ignorance of AI is irresponsible.”

He added that these discussions aim to deepen the understanding of AI, promote informed dialogue and help court personnel assess how technology can be used responsibly and in ways that advance social justice.

He clarified that digitalization, or transferring data on paper into digital platforms, and AI are not the same.

Leonen highlighted the Court’s digital transformation efforts under the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI), particularly through eCourt PH, the Judiciary’s digital case management system.

eCourt PH was established in 2025, has been pilot-tested in trial courts and is being prepared for a wider rollout nationwide.

Digitalization has reduced the time needed to file pleadings and receive court issuances while also helping safeguard court records from loss and damage.

On the challenges courts have faced in preserving physical records, Leonen said: “Our courts have had to deal with records lost or destroyed or damaged. And the most embarrassing of it all is courts will get the parties to reconstruct their record.”

Digitalization helps address these challenges by allowing data to be securely stored and protected through cloud services.

While digital systems face cybersecurity risks, he emphasized that the Judiciary has invested heavily in protecting its networks and infrastructure.

Recalling a 2025 cyberattack that affected several government websites, he noted that the Judiciary’s systems remained secure.

“Even as I speak, there may be hundreds of thousands of attacks on any given day, but we are still up and running.”

He added that from a team of fewer than 30, the Court’s ICT network team has now grown to 200.

“And we are now devolving it so that every Regional Court Manager, especially here in Region V, we have a team of ICT who can do also tech support and training,” he said.

Underscoring the importance of cyber hygiene, Leonen explained that technology alone cannot fully secure a system.

He said a single employee who improperly shares passwords or grants unauthorized access can compromise an entire network, which is why the Court has issued policies requiring strict accountability for user accounts and access privileges.