Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo cautioned legal professionals that while technological innovations like artificial intelligence can streamline complex legal work, judicial decisions must remain firmly anchored in human judgment and foundational legal principles.

Delivering the keynote address at the Inter-Pacific Bar Association Arbitration Day 2026 at the University of the Philippines Bonifacio Global City Campus, Gesmundo addressed lawyers, arbitrators, and legal scholars from across the Asia-Pacific region on the evolving landscape of international commercial disputes.

“International arbitration is evolving because the world in which it operates is changing,” Gesmundo said, pointing to cross-border commerce, digital evidence, and the rapid integration of emerging technologies into legal practice.

While acknowledging that AI offers significant gains in legal research, document review, and data analysis for complex cases, Gesmundo stressed that technology must serve as a tool rather than a replacement for human reasoning.

He highlighted the high court’s Governance Framework on the Use of Human-Centered Augmented Intelligence in the Judiciary, which mandates that automated systems may assist but never replace human professional judgment.

“Technology may assist the process, but the responsibility for the process remains human,” Gesmundo said. “Technology is a means; justice remains the end.”

Gesmundo cited that the judiciary’s ongoing reform efforts under the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022–2027 aim to modernize court operations while preserving institutional integrity and reinforcing domestic legal enforcement for international arbitral awards.