In a groundbreaking moment integrating artificial intelligence into courtroom proceedings, the family of Christopher Pelkey, a U. S. Army veteran killed in a 2021 road-rage incident, used an AI-generated video during the sentencing on May 1, 2025, at Maricopa County Superior Court, Arizona. This unprecedented event featured a highly realistic digital avatar of Pelkey delivering a scripted message to his convicted killer, aiming to convey Pelkey’s emotions and imagine how he might have personally addressed the court. The AI avatar was created under the leadership of Pelkey’s sister, Stacey Wales, who wanted to express the profound loss her family endured. Leveraging technological expertise, they crafted a lifelike and empathetic digital representation to highlight the human aspect within the legal process. Wales noted that the AI message communicated emotional nuances her own words could not at such a public and crucial moment. Though the AI video was not admitted as formal evidence, it was used during sentencing, sparking significant discussion on generative AI’s emerging role in legal settings. The defendant, Gabriel Paul Horcasitas—convicted of manslaughter and endangerment related to the incident—received a 10. 5-year prison sentence. This use of AI underscored a growing trend where technology intersects with judicial procedures, potentially reshaping how courts engage with emotional narratives and victim impact statements. However, the AI-generated courtroom presentation drew mixed reactions from the legal community.

Experts voiced concerns about ethical and procedural implications. Law professor Harry Surden, an authority on law and technology, cautioned about appropriate boundaries for AI simulations in justice, highlighting risks such as their strong emotional influence on juries and judges, which might cause bias or affect decisions beyond traditional evidence standards. He stressed that such messages lie outside current legal evidentiary rules, underscoring the need for clear regulations governing AI’s courtroom use. The Pelkey family’s initiative exemplifies AI’s dual nature in legal contexts: offering innovative ways to humanize proceedings and give victims a voice, yet raising ethical dilemmas regarding fairness, objectivity, and potential manipulation. As AI advances across sectors, its courtroom integration demands thoughtful balancing of innovation with justice principles and due process. This case marks a landmark example demonstrating AI’s emotional impact alongside complex challenges. It has initiated broader discussions among legal professionals, technologists, lawmakers, and the public on responsibly incorporating AI into the justice system to ensure technology enhances rather than compromises rights and ethics. The Pelkey family’s experience and the court’s handling emphasize the urgent need for ongoing review and possibly new legal frameworks tailored to AI-enabled courtroom tools, preparing for future cases involving such technologies. As AI evolves, so will the conversations about its role in the pursuit of justice.