AI is Now Writing Judgments and Books, Says NHRC Chairperson Justice V Ramasubramanian
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has begun ghostwriting books and even judicial judgments, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairperson Justice V Ramasubramanian remarked in a lighthearted address at a book launch on Wednesday.
The former Supreme Court judge made the comment while speaking at the launch of Informational Privacy: Constitutional and Common Law Remedies, authored by Nina Rohinton Nariman.
“AI has already started writing books under authors’ names. It has also begun drafting judgments. Fortunately, this book was not written by AI but by NI—Native Intelligence,” he quipped.
The book was launched by Justice Ramasubramanian alongside Senior Advocate Madhavi Gorodia Divan, with retired Supreme Court judge Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and his wife, Sanaya Nariman, also in attendance.
The Digital Age and Privacy Concerns
Reflecting on the growing intrusion of technology into personal lives, Justice Ramasubramanian shared a personal anecdote about being bombarded with astrological advice online, humorously noting,
“I realized that Google knows much more about us than our spouses do. This is why informational privacy is so important today.”
He cautioned against the hidden costs of using digital platforms, stating:
“When you log in to social media, you are both a consumer and a product. If something is being offered to you for free, it means you are actually the service being sold.”
Justice Ramasubramanian also referenced global regulatory efforts to rein in Big Tech, citing hefty fines imposed by the European Union for privacy breaches. He recalled a statement by the former CEO of Sun Microsystems:
“Privacy is dead with the advent of the Internet—get over it.”
While he asserted that privacy is not entirely lost, he warned that it is now “on life support.”
The Impact of AI and Data Monetization
Senior Advocate Madhavi Divan, addressing the event, highlighted the threats posed by AI-driven data mining to informational privacy.
She questioned, “What good is freedom of speech without freedom of thought? In this digital age, what is being stolen from us is precisely that—our freedom to think independently.”
Referring to recent internet trends, she mentioned how AI is being used to transform photographs into animated images resembling Studio Ghibli’s art style.
“This trend reflects how people willingly surrender their personal data for trivial digital experiences. The normalization of such data surrender is deeply problematic,” she warned.
She also emphasized the monetization of human attention, explaining:
“Our data is being used to shape our preferences, from product choices to electoral decisions. While we believe we are consuming information, in reality, we are the product being sold to advertisers.”
Privacy, National Security, and Legal Reforms
Discussing the intersection of privacy and national security, Divan referred to the ongoing U.S.-TikTok dispute, underlining the need for stronger privacy protections.
“It is ironic how long it took us to declare privacy as a fundamental right, despite its increasing relevance in the digital age,” she said.
She also called for extending the right to be forgotten to AI algorithms, stating, “Just as individuals have the right to erase past data, algorithms should also be trained to forget.”
Justice Rohinton Nariman, in a brief address, advocated for a larger Supreme Court bench to reassess Article 226 of the Constitution, arguing that privacy protections should extend beyond fundamental rights and be enforceable against private entities.
“In my view, it is crucial that a seven- or nine-judge bench revisits the public aspects doctrine and extends it to non-fundamental rights as well,” he asserted.
Closing the discussion, author Nina Nariman stressed the importance of using Article 226 as a tool to address breaches of informational privacy, reinforcing the book’s central theme.
