Digital Justice: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Expanding Legal Aid and Accessibility

A. V. Subrahamanyam1* and V. Vijayalakshmi2
1Assistant Professor, KL College of Law, KLEF Deemed to be University, Andhra Pradesh, India.
2Professor, Department of Law, Andhra University, Visakapattinam, Andhra Pradesh, India.
*Corresponding Author E-mail: avsmanyam.subramanyam@kluniversity.in
Keywords: Digital Justice, Artificial Intelligence, Legal Aid, Access to Justice, Technology and Law
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Abstract

The evolution of technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), is transforming the landscape of legal aid and access to justice globally. Traditional legal systems have often struggled with delays, limited resources, and unequal access, disproportionately affecting marginalized and vulnerable populations. AI-powered tools and digital platforms offer promising solutions to these systemic challenges by automating legal research, predicting case outcomes, facilitating document preparation, and providing online dispute resolution services. By integrating AI with legal aid services, stakeholders can reduce procedural bottlenecks, enhance efficiency, and expand reach to underserved communities.

However, the deployment of AI in legal aid raises critical ethical, legal, and social concerns. Issues such as algorithmic bias, data privacy, transparency, and accountability must be addressed to ensure that AI-driven solutions do not perpetuate existing inequalities or undermine the fairness of the justice system. Furthermore, the digital divide presents a significant barrier, as populations with limited technological literacy or access to digital infrastructure may remain excluded from AI-enhanced legal services.

Citation

Subrahamanyam, A. V., & Vijayalakshmi, V. (2026). Digital Justice: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Expanding Legal Aid and Accessibility. Mercovite, 1(1), 63–74.

License

© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Dr. BGR Publications .

The authors retain copyright of this article. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

References

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