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Tools for ethical use: Latin American and Caribbean judges receive training in Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law
More than 40 judges and professors from Judicial Schools in Latin America and the Caribbean are receiving training on “Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law” in a training activity organized by UNESCO together with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, with the support of the European Union.
The activity takes place from November 15 to 17, 2023 in San José, Costa Rica. This training program aims to provide judges, prosecutors, lawyers and other stakeholders in the judicial sector around the world with access to the information and tools necessary to understand and consider the benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for their work.
At the same time, the training programme will help the judicial sector recognise the drawbacks and risks of AI, including bias, discrimination, black boxes, lack of accountability and transparency.
It will also help the justice sector make better decisions and reduce potential risks to human rights by providing guidance and insights on the principles, regulations and relevant jurisprudence that underpin the responsible use of AI in justice sector contexts.
To balance the opportunities and challenges that AI technologies may present for the justice sector, UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI highlights that “Member States should enhance the capacity of the judiciary to make decisions related to AI systems in accordance with the rule of law…”. This underscores the importance of this training programme, which aims to elaborate on how the justice sector can leverage AI technologies and ensure that they are used ethically, responsibly and in accordance with the framework of international human rights law.
After completing the training program, justice sector participants will be able to:
- Understand AI and its use in judicial sector processes and operations.
- Develop the ability to examine legal cases involving the use of AI.
- Gain a firmer appreciation of the use of algorithmic decision-making and AI in the justice sector.
- Understand the key issues surrounding algorithmic bias (such as gender bias, racial bias, intersecting forms of bias, etc.) and black boxes and explain why they are important in justice sector settings.
- Become familiar with the most recent regulatory measures and case law related to algorithmic bias, inappropriate use of algorithms in decision-making, including in contravention of the law, and black boxes.
- Understand and explain the impact of AI on the following fundamental rights: privacy, freedom of expression, access to information, protection against discrimination, right of access to courts, fair and impartial trials and hearings, and due process of law.
The training programme is based primarily on the and will cover the following topics:
Module 1: Introduction to AI and the Rule of Law
Module 2: AI adoption in the judicial sector
Module 3: Legal and ethical challenges of deploying AI in the judicial sector
Module 4: Human rights and AI: governance, regulation and policies
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