Quebec courts limit judges’ use of generative AI

Quebec’s courts have issued new guidelines saying generative artificial intelligence cannot replace a judge’s reasoning, evidence review or decisionmaking. The guidance was jointly adopted by the province’s Court of Appeal, Superior Court, Court of Quebec and municipal courts. The document says AI may be used for limited support tasks, such as revising text, translating material already written, handling some administrative work or finding information in approved sources. But judges must keep full control of any AIassisted work and verify anything produced by the tool. The courts said there is no approved secure institutional AI system for judges yet, and warned about confidentiality and transparency risks. The guidelines were developed after a Quebec decision raised concerns earlier this year when it appeared to include nonexistent case law, prompting questions about whether AI had been used.