ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AS A TOOL FOR APPLYING EVALUATIVE CONCEPTS IN CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS: LEGAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence into legal practice raises fundamental questions about its compatibility with criminal justice, a field that has traditionally been based on human judgment and discretion. This relevance becomes particularly acute with regard to evaluative concepts, which are indispensable for context-sensitive decision-making but at the same time create risks of inconsistency and unpredictability. Against this backdrop, this article aims to assess whether artificial intelligence can function as an auxiliary tool for the application of evaluative concepts in criminal proceedings and whether such use is legally and economically justified. The object of the study is the application of evaluative concepts in criminal justice, and the subject is the economic and legal consequences of applying artificial intelligence to evaluative concepts. The study is based on doctrinal legal analysis, comparative legal reasoning, and the methodology of law and economics as a theoretical and methodological basis. By synthesising legal theory and economic analysis, the article considers artificial intelligence as a normative problem and as a tool for optimising economic efficiency. The article demonstrates that artificial intelligence can enhance analytical capabilities in criminal proceedings by systematising large volumes of case law, identifying patterns in the application of evaluative concepts, and highlighting deviations from established trends in decision-making. As a result, artificial intelligence can contribute to greater consistency and predictability in judicial practice. At the same time, the study reveals structural limitations of algorithmic approaches, in particular reduced sensitivity to unique contextual factors, difficulties in providing normative justification, and the risk of reinforcing existing interpretative patterns. From an economic perspective, the analysis shows that artificial intelligence has the potential to reduce transaction costs, optimise the allocation of judicial resources and speed up procedural decision-making, provided that its use remains auxiliary rather than substitutive. The practical value of the study lies in substantiating a balanced model for integrating artificial intelligence into criminal justice, in which algorithmic tools serve as analytical aids, while final decisions remain under human control, ensuring both efficiency and compliance with fundamental legal guarantees.