China uses AI to streamline justice

SHANGHAI, China (Global TImes) — Shanghai has adopted an artificial intelligence (AI)-supported system to handle criminal cases and facilitate judicial hearings, which is dubbed as a 24-hour judge’s assistant.

Shanghai-based news site thepaper.cn introduced the system to the public on Tuesday, two days before the opening of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2019 from 29 to 31 August in the city.

The system can transcribe a suspect’s testimony at hearings because it can recognize a speaker’s identity based on conversations in a courtroom.

Ma Changshan, a professor at East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, said the system could transfer large amounts of legal documents to electronic data and mark them.

The AI system captures the elements of a case in the electronic files, such as time, place, people, behavior and consequences, Ma, who is doing research on the system, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Besides, the AI system is capable of identifying defective evidence to avoid wrongful convictions, thepaper.cn reported.

Ma explained that a suspect may make multiple confessions and the AI system could instantly detect contradictions in the person’s several statements.

The system can also respond to oral commands and display evidence and information on digital screens of different parties in a courtroom at a hearing, which shortens the time to present evidence.

The AI system started with criminal cases because the legal charters are more complete and clearer for AI to “learn” and mark accordingly in specific cases, Ma said.