Ai-Dependent Judgment - How AI Reshapes the Formation and Transfer of Judgment

Abstract

This paper examines how artificial intelligence changes the formation of judgment inside institutions even when formal decision authority resides with humans. It distinguishes between AI-supported, AI-influenced and AI-shaped judgment, and traces how AI can alter framing, evidence selection, interpretation and recommendation before a human review commences. The paper argues that conventional review structures may therefore preserve accountability in form without preserving substantive independent judgment, particularly as repeated use creates cumulative dependence, unauthorized or poorly observed AI use, and the propagation of framing, analytical and judgment errors across workflows. It proposes a framework for identifying where judgment is actually being formed, how machine influence accumulates, and when human review ceases to provide substantive independence.