Revisiting AI Justice in China: Rationale and Risks behind the Progressive Movement

The rapid development and deployment of "AI Justice" in China represents a significant progressive movement, transforming judicial practices from traditional human-centric models to increasingly automated systems. This movement encompasses a wide range of applications, from "Smart Courts" designed to increase efficiency and standardize trial work, to specialized Internet Courts handling the surge in online disputes. Based on empirical data, this lecture will first explore the institutional rationales behind this state-led movement, analyzing the unique driving forces—such as the tradition of scientific socialism and the immense pressure of a caseload explosion—alongside the weak push-back from traditional legal actors. Subsequently, the lecture will critically examine the claimed benefits of AI Justice, such as enhanced efficiency and objectivity, against the risks. By revisiting the Chinese experience, this lecture will probe the questions this transformation raises for the nature of AI justice in the digital age.

Weiwei Shen is an Associate Professor at the Law School of China University of Political Science and Law. He is currently a visiting scholar at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Faculty of Law, and a visiting fellow at Kellogg College. His research explores the digital transformation of legal frameworks, and he has published widely on themes in law and technology, including constitutional rights in the digital age, platform liability, cyber sovereignty, AI regulation, and online cultural production. He is the author of The Myth of Internet Regulation (2024), Introduction to Internet Regulation Law (2025), and has contributed numerous articles to leading academic journals. He is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where he studied as a Dean’s Scholar, University of Oxford, and Tsinghua University School of Law, where he was the founding editor of Tsinghua China Law Review.

Alexander J. Wulf is Professor of Law and Economics at SRH University of Applied Sciences Heidelberg, Campus Berlin. He is currently a visiting scholar at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Faculty of Law. He holds doctorates in both law and economics and, among other qualifications, an MSc in Social Research Methods from the London School of Economics. His research integrates perspectives from legal theory, law and society, and law and economics, with a particular interest in applying empirical methods to the study of law. His work contributes to national and European policy debates. He is a member of the Law and Society Associations in both Germany and the United States and has held visiting research positions, among others, at the universities of Hamburg, Kyoto, Berkeley, and Calcutta.

Gor Vartazaryan is an MPhil candidate at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies and a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Law, Charles University. Before joining the CSLS, Gor earned his BA in Political Science and International Relations, and his MA in Political Science at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University. Gor also holds a Law degree from Charles University in Prague. His professional background includes experience at a law firm and the Municipal Court in Prague, as well as internships at institutions such as the Czech Constitutional Court, both Chambers of the Czech Parliament and the Office of the Czech Government Agent before the ECtHR.