The Use of AI in Maritime Delimitation Addressing the Equity Principle and Judicial Subjectivity

This chapter explores the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform maritime delimitation, a complex process that balances geographical, legal, and equitable considerations, to resolve disputes over maritime boundaries. While traditional maritime delimitation relies on human adjudication, AI offers opportunities to enhance efficiency, consistency, and objectivity through its data-processing capabilities. However, integrating AI into this nuanced legal domain raises significant challenges, including algorithmic bias, opacity, and the difficulty of translating equitable principles into computational frameworks. The chapter begins with a literature review. It then examines the legal and technical foundations of maritime delimitation, emphasizing the role of equity and the evolution of methodologies such as the equidistance principle and the three-stage approach. The discussion shifts to AI’s potential applications, including machine learning and natural language processing, which could support decision-making by analyzing vast datasets and identifying patterns in legal precedents. However, the chapter also critically evaluates the limitations of AI, particularly its inability to fully grasp the contextual and interpretative nature of legal reasoning, which is essential for achieving equitable outcomes. Ethical concerns, such as data bias, model fragility, and the risk of judicial conformism, are also addressed, underscoring the need for transparency and human oversight. The chapter concludes by advocating for a balanced approach, where AI serves as a decision-support tool rather than a replacement for human judges.