The Global Judicial Integrity Network already began exploring the ethical use of AI in judiciaries at its official launch in April 2018, when a panel discussion on AI and court administration was organized by the Research Institute on Judicial Systems as one of the breakout sessions. Following the event, panellist Francesco Contini then wrote an article on AI based upon his experience drafting the Council of Europe's recent guidelines on the use of AI. His comprehensive opinion piece that is featured on our website provides a solid overview of the issues that arise. Diana Graski of the National Center for State Courts was also featured in a podcast episode, which further describes the use of AI to tackle case backlogs in judiciaries.

In addition to these activities, the Network was involved in the Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea's Judicial Policy Research Institute's international conference in Seoul and UN Global Pulse Meeting on the Governance of Data and AI in Geneva, where we contributed to discussions on the topic. Furthermore, a panel on AI was organized by the Global Judicial Integrity Network as part of the World Bank's Law, Justice, and Development Week in 2019, as well as at the Second High-Level Event of the Network in Doha, Qatar in 2020. The Network recently presented in the Gender Equity breakthrough track at the AI for Good Global Summit, and participants can  watch the recording of the final presentation online.

Many judiciaries have begun using AI applications to improve efficiency. However, while Artificial Intelligence brings with it a great potential for improvement, judiciaries should be mindful of potential challenges to ethical principles, such as transparency, accountability and impartiality when developing new projects. Of course, when using new technology, judiciaries should still ensure that they are upholding the Bangalore Principles.

As an emerging field, the use of AI in judiciaries remains largely unregulated by specific guidelines and the Network hopes to draw on the expertise and good practices of its participants in the coming months to fill this gap.