In a special address, the top judge expressed concern, particularly for young lawyers, about the temptation to rely heavily on the technology.

“To be human is to learn, to err, to struggle, and to remember. There is no doubt that it (AI) has made us use less of our mental faculties.

“When we outsource our thinking, we are not just saving time. We are losing a part of ourselves. Efficiency is for machines,” he said at the Commonwealth Legal Education Association Conference 2026 at Universiti Malaya here today.

Also present at the conference were Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, former chief justice Tengku Maimum Tuan Mat, Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar, law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said, and chief justice of India Surya Kant.

Wan Farid encouraged the legal fraternity to embrace the technology, but to use it wisely “as an aid, not a substitute”.

He also emphasised the importance of discipline in thinking carefully, articulating clearly, and engaging meaningfully.

“These are not old-fashioned skills. They are the very foundation of advocacy, judgment, and justice,” he said.

He said technology could not weigh compassion or exercise conscience, and was certainly not capable of understanding the human story behind every legal case.

“Judicial discretion, fairness, and independence must always remain at the centre of what we do,” he added.

He said this was why ethical reasoning should be embedded from the very beginning in how the law is taught and practised.

“Because ultimately, we are not just training lawyers to argue well. We are shaping individuals who carry hope and uphold justice.”

In November last year, Wan Farid likened AI to a chainsaw: useful in the right hands but dangerous in the wrong ones.

The top judge said AI was being deployed in legal research, contract analysis, predictive analytics, and even judicial decision-making, but could not replace the essence of what a lawyer or judge does.