Brand Stories

California Courts Adopt Rule for Artificial Intelligence in Justice System

Published

12 hours ago

July 20, 2025

California becomes the first state to require all courts to adopt strict rules for AI use, demanding verification, anti-bias measures, and full disclosure.

Key Takeaways

California Judicial Council adopts first statewide rule and standard on generative AI, effective September 2025
Rule mandates strict policies to protect confidentiality, prevent bias, and ensure accountability in court-related AI use
Mixed reactions highlight national implications for public trust, job displacement, and the limits of technology in justice

By Samuel Lopez – USA Herald

California’s judicial system just made history. With the formal adoption of Rule 10.430 and Standard 10.80, the state’s courts are setting the first comprehensive framework in the nation for the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in court operations. Effective September 1, 2025, these new rules aim to balance innovation with the core values of confidentiality, impartiality, and public trust in the justice system.

This move comes as AI transforms industries across the globe—and as the legal sector grapples with both the promise and perils of machine learning in decision-making. California, home to both Silicon Valley and the country’s largest court system, now stands at the crossroads of technology and justice.

Why Now? A Wave of Change and Controversy

The California Judicial Council’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force, established by Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero in 2024, developed these rules amid growing public anxiety about AI’s impact on everything from hiring and health care to the rule of law itself. High-profile scandals over AI-generated legal “hallucinations,” discriminatory outputs, and data leaks have already led to sanctions and skepticism in courtrooms nationwide.

California’s courts—serving millions each year—recognized the urgent need for clear boundaries. As the Task Force’s report notes, “Adopting the proposed rule and standard will help promote responsible innovation in court operations while protecting confidential information, ensuring appropriate oversight, and maintaining public trust in the judicial branch.”

What the New Rules Require: Protection Over Peril

Rule 10.430 and Standard 10.80 collectively apply to the state’s superior courts, Courts of Appeal, and the Supreme Court. They require any court that doesn’t ban AI use entirely to adopt a detailed “generative AI use policy” by December 15, 2025. The core requirements are:

Source link

Brand Stories

California Judicial Council implements rule for generative artificial intelligence use in court

Published

9 minutes ago

July 21, 2025

Jacqueline So

Policies must block confidential information from being input into public generative AI systems; they must also ban unlawful discrimination via AI programs. Court staff and judicial officers must also “take reasonable steps” to confirm the accuracy of material, as per a statement published by Reuters. Staff and judicial officers must also reveal whether they used AI if the final version of any publicized written, visual, or audio work was AI-generated.

Courts must implement their respective policies by September 1.

Task force chair Brad Hill told the council in a statement published by Reuters that the rule “strikes the best balance between uniformity and flexibility.” He explained that the task force steered clear of a rule that would dictate court use of the evolving technology.

Illinois, Delaware, and Arizona have also taken on generative AI rules or policies. New York, Georgia, and Connecticut are presently evaluating generative AI use in court.

California’s court system comprises five million cases, 65 courts, and around 1,800 judges. The AI task force was established to address the increasing interest in generative AI as well as public concern about its effect on the judiciary; it supervises the development of AI use policy recommendations in this branch.

Source link

Brand Stories

This Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock Could Hit a $2 Trillion Valuation by July 31

Published

2 hours ago

July 21, 2025

Harsh Chauhan, The Motley Fool

Meta Platforms’ recent rally has brought its market cap close to the $2 trillion mark.
The digital advertising giant’s upcoming earnings report could help it hit this milestone.
Meta’s ability to deliver strong returns to advertisers with the help of AI tools could help it grow at a faster pace than the end market in the long run, paving the way for more upside.
These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires ›

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) stock has been rallying impressively of late, gaining more than 32% in the past three months amid the broader rally in technology stocks. As a result, Meta’s market cap has jumped to $1.8 trillion as of this writing on July 14, making it the sixth-largest company in the world.

Meta is slated to release its second-quarter results after the market closes on July 31. The company has been able to grow at a faster pace than the digital ad market thanks to the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools into its offerings, which could enable it to deliver another solid set of results later this month.

Given that Meta stock is just 11% away from entering the $2 trillion market cap club as I write this, there is a good chance it could achieve that milestone in July, driven by the tech stock rally and a healthy quarterly report.

META data by YCharts. E = earnings reports.

Let’s look at the reasons why Meta stock is primed for more upside this month and in the long run.

It is worth noting that Meta’s earnings have been better than consensus expectations in each of the last four quarters. One reason is the increase in spending across its family of applications by advertisers. In the first quarter, for instance, Meta reported an impressive increase of 10% year over year in the average price per ad.

Person smiling and looking at a smartphone in a gym. — Image source: Getty Images.

Ad impressions also increased by 5% from the year-ago period, which means the company is delivering more ads. This combination of higher pricing per ad and an increase in impressions delivered enabled Meta to report a 37% year-over-year increase in its earnings to $6.43 per share in Q1. However, investors should also note that the company has been aggressively increasing its capital expenditures (capex) to bolster its AI infrastructure.

It expects to spend $68 billion on capex in 2025, at the midpoint of its guidance range. That would be a massive increase over its 2024 capex of $39 billion. This explains why analysts are expecting Meta’s earnings to increase at a slower year-over-year pace of 13% for the second quarter to $5.84 per share. While the increased investment in AI-focused data center infrastructure is undoubtedly likely to weigh on Meta’s bottom line in the short run, the higher returns its AI investments are generating on the advertising front could help it beat the market’s bottom-line expectations. And beating expectations often sends a stock up, as investors react with excitement and optimism.

Meta management points out that users are now spending more time on its applications thanks to AI-recommended content. In the six months that ended March 31, Meta saw the time spent on Facebook and Instagram increase by 7% and 6%, respectively. The increase in user engagement tells us why it has been able to serve more ads.

Moreover, the gains advertisers have seen on the dollars they are spending on Meta’s applications are also quite solid. A couple of months ago, Meta said it “assessed the impact of [its] new AI-driven advertising tools and found that they drive a 22% improvement in return on ad spend for advertisers. This means that for every dollar U.S. advertisers spend with Meta, they see a $4.52 return when they use [its] new AI-driven advertising tools.”

Unsurprisingly, Meta saw a 30% increase in the number of advertisers using its AI tools to create campaigns in the first quarter. So, there is indeed a solid possibility that Meta will clock healthy growth in ads delivered and the average price per ad in Q2, which could pave the way for a better-than-expected jump in its bottom line and help the company cross the $2 trillion milestone. I expect it to hit that market cap before Aug. 1.

Looking ahead, Meta expects that it will allow advertisers to completely automate the creation and execution of ad campaigns by the end of next year. As such, there is a good chance that Meta’s earnings growth could accelerate from 2026, following this year’s projected increase of 7%. Estimates are shown in the chart below.

META EPS Estimates for Current Fiscal Year Chart — META EPS Estimates for Current Fiscal Year data by YCharts. EPS = earnings per share.

However, there is a strong possibility that Meta’s earnings growth will outpace market expectations, thanks to AI. That’s why it won’t be surprising to see its market cap jumping to higher levels in the long run, as the digital ad market is expected to clock a robust annual growth rate of 15% through 2030, and Meta has the ability to keep growing at a faster pace than the end market.

Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this.

On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves:

Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you’d have $447,134!*
Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $40,090!*
Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $652,133!*

Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join Stock Advisor, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.

See the 3 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of July 14, 2025

Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Harsh Chauhan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Prediction: This Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock Could Hit a $2 Trillion Valuation by July 31 was originally published by The Motley Fool

Source link