Trustworthy AI for China’s courts: A socialist core value alignment

Abstract

This paper examines how China operationalizes the concept of trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) in its judicial system through the integration of socialist core values (社会主义核心价值观). While it would be difficult for liberal democracies to translate ethical principles into technical and legal mechanisms for AI governance, China has achieved a high degree of technical maturity and normative clarity in this field. This development has resulted from the authoritarian fusion of legality and morality under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and its translation into the process of AI value alignment. Drawing on legal texts, technical standards, and institutional practices, the paper argues that China’s approach to judicial AI value alignment transforms “ethical AI” from a safeguard of justice into an instrument of political control. In contrast to rights-oriented frameworks that would need to preserve ethical pluralism and procedural safeguards of liberal legal systems, China’s model mandates adherence to a single, state-defined morality. The analysis situates China’s judicial AI within broader debates on authoritarian legality and value alignment, demonstrating how the pursuit of “trustworthiness” can serve illiberal ends. The paper concludes by reflecting on the implications of China’s approach for global AI governance and the future of algorithmic justice.