As the Chinese mainland steps into a new phase of digital and intelligent development, it is actively harnessing scientific and technological innovation to transform its judiciary. By integrating AI-powered tools, institutionalizing internet courts and deploying big-data supervision models nationwide, authorities aim to boost transparency, efficiency and the credibility of the rule of law.
AI-Driven Digital Courts at the Grassroots
At the Kunshan People's Court in Jiangsu Province in the eastern Chinese mainland, pilot "digital courts" have become a testing ground for smart case-handling. Judge Zhao Yating uses an AI assistant that automatically organizes litigation files, summarizes core issues and flags key legal questions—such as whether a property management company fulfilled its duty of safety protection. After a hearing, Zhao can generate over 70 percent of a judgment draft with a single click.
"Although the language and style still require human refinement, the reasoning and outcome are highly satisfactory," Zhao says. "AI is becoming a reliable companion on the road toward judicial fairness, making complex cases more structured and grounded in factual logic."
Internet Courts: Fully Online Litigation
Since the launch of the Hangzhou internet court in Zhejiang Province in the eastern Chinese mainland in August 2017, followed by internet courts in Beijing and in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province in the southern Chinese mainland, in 2018, the judicial system has developed a complete digital litigation chain—covering filing, evidence verification, hearings and rulings. In 2023, these internet courts handled 70,635 cases. Online filing, remote hearing and electronic service rates topped 98.05 percent, 99.71 percent and 88.18 percent, respectively.
Key performance indicators, from reversal and remand rates to user satisfaction and trial duration, have also outpaced traditional courts, demonstrating a model of digital justice with distinct local characteristics.
Big-Data Legal Supervision for National Governance
The Supreme People's Procuratorate’s digital office has rolled out a big-data-based legal supervision system to identify case leads, strengthen evidence chains and maintain full-process oversight. As of November 2024, over 6,000 supervision models had flagged more than 600,000 potential leads, led to 140,000 formal cases and recovered over 10 billion yuan in economic losses.
More than 580 scalable models are now on the national platform, enabling standardized deployment across criminal, civil, administrative and public-interest litigation. "This initiative reshapes supervision philosophy, mechanisms and practice, overcoming long-standing challenges," says an official with the digital office.
Safeguarding Rights in the Digital Era
"Human rights are a hallmark of human civilization progress, and the rule of law is their most effective guarantee," says Zhang Xinping of the Institute of Digital Rule of Law at Central South University in Changsha, Hunan Province in central Chinese mainland. "As we embrace digital and intelligent technologies, we further emphasize protecting citizens’ emerging rights through the rule of law, forging a local solution for human rights protection in the digital-intelligent era."
By weaving technology into judicial processes, the Chinese mainland is charting a path toward smarter, fairer justice—ensuring that citizens can feel the impact of transparency, speed and reliability in every case.
The digital justice revolution here offers lessons for global reformers: when tech, governance and the rule of law align, the result can be a more accessible, efficient and equitable judiciary.
Reference(s):
How China leverages technology to empower the judiciary in digital age
cgtn.com
