Judging with Practical Wisdom in Digital Courts: Paul Ricœur’s Little Ethics and the Ethical Governance of AI in the Judiciary

Erwin Susilo

doi:10.64923/ceniiac.e0011

Authors

Erwin Susilo Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia | Mahkamah Agung Republik Indonesia https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9990-8112

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64923/ceniiac.e0011

Keywords:

Paul Ricœur, Little Ethics, Reflective Judicial Phronesis, Digital Judicial Governance, Artificial Intelligence, Judicial Ethics

Abstract

Since 2025, a significant number of judicial systems in various countries have adopted or are testing the use of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in pre-trial risk assessment, sentencing support, and case management. Despite promising efficiency, this practice raises serious issues regarding algorithmic bias, lack of transparency, and judicial legitimacy, as reflected in the use of COMPAS in the United States and the cancelation of the SyRI system in the Netherlands. This research seeks to redefine judicial ethics as a normative framework for the regulation of AI-assisted decision-making. This study employs the normative legal research method within a hermeneutic framework, incorporating a philosophical analysis of Paul Ricoeur's concept of petite éthique, a conceptual approach, and a comparative examination of constitutional and supreme court decisions in Germany, South Africa, and Indonesia. The primary outcome of this research is the development of the Reflective Judicial Phronesis Model, which conceptualizes phronesis as both a personal virtue of judges and an institutional reflective capability within digital judicial governance. This research concludes that institutional adaptation of Ricœur's ethics provides a normative basis for strengthening reasoning transparency, human control over AI, and the legitimacy and accountability of technology-based justice.

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Author Biography

Erwin Susilo, Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia | Mahkamah Agung Republik Indonesia

Erwin Susilo, S.H., M.H. is a Judge at the Pangkalan Balai District Court Class IB and a doctoral candidate at Universitas Syiah Kuala, Indonesia. His research focuses on criminal procedure law, evidentiary principles, pretrial reform, judicial reasoning, restorative justice, and legal theory within the Indonesian criminal justice system.

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