Today's Edition
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
Artificial intelligence is playing a growing role in the UAE’s justice sector, while keeping final decisions in human hands.
This was highlighted during the Innovation in Justice session, organised by the UAE Ministry of Justice at the 15th UN Crime Congress in Abu Dhabi.
The session brought together Dr Abdulla Al Hammadi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for the Support Services Sector at the Ministry of Justice, and Dr Abdulla Ahmed Alkaabi, Senior Director of Technology Consulting at PwC Middle East, who discussed how innovation, AI and governance could transform the justice system while maintaining human oversight.
Dr Al Hammadi innovation had become central to developing the UAE’s justice services. “Innovation is measured first by its impact on people,” he said.
The ministry had adopted a clear innovation strategy from the early stages of the UAE Government’s innovation drive, focusing on legislation, services, operations and technology. “The foundation of all of this is the individual,” he said.
He pointed to virtual litigation, virtual marriage services and digital powers of attorney as examples of how technology had transformed judicial services.
However, he stressed that human oversight remained essential as AI became more widely used. “Technology must serve people and justice,” he said. He added that new technologies and AI applications underwent testing before wider implementation.
“Testing is one of the stages that always precedes innovation,” he said. Dr Al Hammadi also highlighted the importance of AI governance, particularly as open AI tools could generate inaccurate legal information.
“Without these regulatory tools, there will be chaos and violations,” he said.
In addition, Dr Alkaabi, said the conversation around AI in justice had shifted significantly over the past two years.
“Two years ago, the question was whether we should use AI in justice. Today, the question is where in the justice chain we can use it,” he said.
AI could support judges by reviewing large case files and extracting relevant information, allowing them to focus on analysis and decision-making. “It does not issue judgments or take the authority of the judge,” he said.
Dr Alkaabi identified five areas where AI could support the justice system: case intake and classification, legal research, judicial cooperation, strategic monitoring and protecting vulnerable groups.
However, he stressed that sensitive decisions should remain with people. “AI analyses and proposes, but the human must make the decision,” he said.
Drawing on international experiences, he said successful adoption depended on maintaining a clear boundary between assistance and decision-making. “The machine assists, but does not decide,” he said.
He also stressed that strong governance was more important than simply adopting the latest technology. “Governance is more important than technology,” he said.
