JEAIL > Volume 19(1); 2026 > Regional Focus & Controversies
Research Paper
Published online: May 30, 2026
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14330/jeail.2026.19.1.08

Legal Reasoning in the Artificial Intelligence Era: Possibilities, Challenges, and Core Orientations in Domestic and International Law

Nguyen Minh Tuan & Do Thi Bao Yen
Vietnam National University
Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Building E1, 144 Xuan Thuy Street, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam
Corresponding Author: yendtb1991@gmail.com

ⓒ Copyright YIJUN Institute of International Law
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/liceInha University Law School, 100 Inharo, Michuhol-gu, Incheon 22212 Korea. / nses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly reshaping legal practice by assisting with statutory interpretation, precedent retrieval, document analysis, and prediction of litigation outcomes. Yet the rise of AI in adjudication and legal services also raises deeper questions about the nature of legal reasoning itself. This article examines three core issues: first, the extent to which AI can replicate traditional legal reasoning methods, especially statutory interpretation, case-based reasoning, and value balancing; second, the principal risks associated with AI-assisted legal reasoning, including opacity, bias, accountability gaps, liability problems, ethical limits, and contextual misunderstanding; and third, the legal, technological, and socio-ethical orientations required to ensure that AI remains subject to human oversight. Drawing on domestic and international materials, including the EU AI Act, UNESCO and OECD principles, and comparative legal scholarship, the article argues that AI may strengthen legal decision-making only if it operates as a supportive instrument within a human-centered rule-of-law framework.

Keywords : Legal Reasoning, Artificial Intelligence, Statutory Interpretation, Case-Based Reasoning, Value Balancing

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