AI Connect II’s eighth webinar featured a panel discussion with insights from experts Francesca Palmiotto, Assistant Professor of Law at IE University, Spain; Rebecca Wexler, Hoessel-Armstrong Professor of Law at UC Berkeley Law School, USA; Prateek Sibal, Program Specialist at UNESCO; and Smita Gupta, Curator at Agami/OpenNyAI, India. The conversation, moderated by GeoTech Center associate director and resident fellow Trisha Ray, explored AI use cases in justice, covering topics such as enhancing judicial efficiency while safeguarding human values, and establishing frameworks to mitigate risks like bias and inequity.
The webinar began with a keynote from Dr. Laura Edelson, Chief Technologist in the Civil Rights Division at the US Department of Justice, who highlighted the systemic challenges posed by AI technologies in the justice system. Dr. Edelson emphasized the importance of citizen engagement through complaint portals and whistleblower protections to address algorithmic discrimination. She also underscored the need for interagency collaboration and independent research to uncover discriminatory practices embedded in opaque AI systems.
The webinar then shifted to a panel discussion, where panelists focused on the integration of AI in judicial systems and its implications for access to justice, transparency, and fairness. Gupta highlighted the significant barriers to access in many legal AI systems, stressing that platforms designed to resolve grievances must be accessible and inclusive to ensure meaningful impact. Wexler discussed how AI can help process large volumes of evidence but warned of the risks of exacerbating existing disparities, such as unequal access to data and investigative tools between prosecution and defense in criminal cases. She also raised concerns about the opacity of privately developed AI systems and their potential to undermine fairness.
Palmiotto addressed the controversial use of AI in assessing the reliability of evidence and the credibility of individuals, particularly in asylum cases. She cautioned against pseudoscientific approaches, like emotion AI, being used to evaluate truthfulness, noting the challenges posed by technical expertise gaps among those affected by these systems. Sibal pointed out the varying degrees of openness to AI innovation in judicial systems across countries, emphasizing the importance of balancing efficiency with fairness.
The panel also touched on regulatory frameworks, with Wexler calling for transparency and caution in intellectual property protections that could further obscure AI systems. Gupta advocated for the development of open-source digital public goods and interoperable systems to democratize access to AI tools.
The webinar also engaged discussants: AI Connect I alum Jake Okechukwu Effoduh and AI Connect II member Veronika Macurová Křížová. Effoduh emphasized centering citizens as primary stakeholders in AI justice conversations and cautioned against treating AI as a one-size-fits-all solution to systemic issues. Křížová reiterated that AI is only as objective as the data it relies on, underscoring the need for critical evaluation of its applications in the justice system.
The session highlighted the need for ongoing research into the societal impacts of AI in judicial systems, greater transparency, and collaboration across stakeholders to ensure equitable outcomes.
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Related resources
Learn more from the resources referenced in AI Connect II Webinar 8:
OpenNyAI: AI Digital Public Goods for Advancing Justice: OpenNyAI | AI Digital Public Goods for Justice
Kerala’s 24×7 ON Courts: A Transformative Judicial Reform for Magistrate Courts: https://theprint.in/opinion/keralas-24×7-on-courts-is-a-big-judicial-reform-it-will-transform-the-magistrates-court/2231535/
The Judicial Data Collaborative: Enhancing Accessibility and Quality of Judicial Data in India: https://judicialdatacollaborative.in/
UNESCO’s Ethical Impact Assessment Tool: A Recommendation for AI Ethics: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/ethical-impact-assessment-tool-recommendation-ethics-artificial-intelligence
UNESCO’s Guiding Principles on Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law: https://www.unesco.org/en/artificial-intelligence/rule-law
UNESCO Report: Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000387331
UNESCO Report: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000390781
AI Snake Oil: A Critical Examination of Artificial Intelligence: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691249131/ai-snake-oil
Africa’s Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy: A Roadmap for the Future: https://au.int/en/documents/20240809/continental-artificial-intelligence-strategy
AI Audit in Action: Dutch Court of Audit’s Review of Government AI Systems: https://english.rekenkamer.nl/publications/reports/2024/10/16/focus-on-ai-in-central-government
Tech Litigation: Insights and Resources on Legal Issues in Technology: https://tech-litigation.com/
Colonial Judicial Legacy: Challenges in Adopting Algorithmic Sentencing in African Courts: https://opiniojuris.org/2024/10/14/colonial-judicial-legacy-as-a-latent-challenge-for-the-adoption-of-algorithmic-sentencing-in-african-courts/