China Expands AI Judicial System After Shenzhen Productivity Gains

The Supreme People's Court announced the expansion of an experimental AI-driven judicial assistance system to 23 courts across 11 provinces. The decision follows a pilot program in Shenzhen that significantly increased judge productivity in 2025, with judges handling an average of 744 cases compared to 495 in 2024.

Developed in 2024 using domain-specific large language models, the system manages 85 procedures across civil, administrative, and criminal litigation, including filing and document preparation. To prevent procedural deviations and data leaks, the court released guidelines on April 21 specifying that AI must assist with processes but cannot issue final rulings or replace human judges.

While the program demonstrates efficiency gains, legal experts and critics warn that a lack of national technical standards could lead to regional inequalities. They argue that other cities may struggle to replicate the results due to a lack of the concentrated technical and legal expertise found in Shenzhen.