Malaysia plans court AI rules for lawyers and court officers
Chief Justice Tun Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh warned that AI-generated legal arguments can seem persuasive while containing errors.
Malaysia’s judiciary will introduce a practice direction governing how lawyers and court officers use artificial intelligence in legal proceedings within a few weeks, Chief Justice Tun Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh said on October 28.
Speaking at the International Malaysia Law Conference 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, he said concerns about inaccurate AI-generated submissions had prompted the move. He warned that the technology could produce convincing legal arguments that were nevertheless wrong.
Wan Ahmad Farid told reporters that judges already had separate guidelines for AI use. He said the judiciary encouraged responsible adoption because it could shorten proceedings and save judges and lawyers time, but cautioned that relying too heavily on it could weaken reasoning and critical thinking.
He stressed that faster court administration should not come at the expense of human judgement. Citing Malaysia’s 2023 abolition of the mandatory death penalty, he said judicial discretion allowed judges to weigh each case’s circumstances, including the interests of victims and the rights of accused people.
He also urged judges to ground their decisions in evidence and law, resist outside pressure and address arguments contrary to their conclusions. Lawyers, he said, must cite legal authorities correctly and advise clients honestly when the law was uncertain.
