So, last night, I saw this new movie titled Mercy. It was on Amazon Prime, and the premise of the movie was kind of fresh, something we’ve not seen for quite a while now. So, the basic idea of the storyline is that AI has taken over the justice system, and instead of a regular court, you get artificial intelligence to judge your case, and if you’re found guilty, you’re executed right on the spot.
But then, before that moment, you are free to bring forth your defense. The idea is that you’re deemed guilty until you prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you’re actually innocent, and thus, you have to prove it and go through the evidence to prove your case. And so, the court has access to everyone’s personal data, bank records, phone messages, and whoever you wish to speak to, whoever’s CCTV you want to access, the entire internet will be at your disposal for the duration of your trial.
And for me, I think that premise is quite great. Yeah, the police will do their job of tracking down criminals and arresting them, but then, it will be up to the people to provide their defense. Not having to rely on juries and physical courts. And even better, no need for warrants and all the red tape that goes with regular investigation. As long as you’re on trial, you can call whoever you want, as long as they’re not minors. And they’ll be obliged to tell you the truth.
You can hack into people’s phones, track them, basically invade their privacy, all to get to the truth of the matter. And if at the end of your time, you can’t prove that you’re innocent, you die. However, if you’re able to provide reasonable doubt, you just might live.
So now, is this something that you’ll consider? AI doesn’t sleep or have mood swings. Human judges do. What will you do when your case is tried by a judge who just found out his wife of twenty years is cheating on him, and his six children aren’t his? What will you do if your judge is mourning the murder of her family by another criminal that she put away? Yeah, we get justice most of the time, but let’s be honest, from time to time, external and personal factors usually come into play in these cases.
There will always be personal bias. A judge who was a victim of rape, or had a family member that got raped, and another judge who was falsely accused of rape or had a family member falsely accused, would approach rape cases differently. They’ll try their best to be fair and all, but there will be personal bias. And it will show in how they handle the trial, and especially how it will be if the defendant is found guilty.
And that’s how it is, I guess we can’t really help it. But AI won’t have these issues. The downside, of course, is that with human judges, you can appeal to their human nature. You can beg them and manage to convince them that you’ll do better and won’t be a murdering bastard again. It might not grant you your freedom, but instead of getting the capital punishment, you could get life. And if the judge feels you’re really remorseful, you could get life with a possibility of parole sometime during your sentence.
But with AI, you’re not pleading nothing! You’re guilty, you’re getting the needle. No begging will change anything. Everyone will truly be equal before the law, and there will be no bias. Of course, there will also be no difference between repentant criminals and the hardened ones who don’t even seem fazed by the gravity of their actions. Everyone gets the same treatment.
So far, the justice system works. But then, I think of a universe like Mercy, where I’d be given all the resources I could have to prove my case. As long as I didn’t commit that crime, I’m sure that I’ll be able to get to the bottom of the case and prove my innocence.
But then, that’s just fiction, right?
