But what if AI could change that? We co-founded the Oxford Institute for Technology and Justice (OITJ), a partnership between the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government and the Clooney Foundation for Justice. Because we believe it is possible.
Using Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab, we are developing AI-powered legal assistants that bring legal help to those who need it most. Developed in collaboration with the Women’s Lawyers Association, the tool in Malawi is an AI-driven chatbot that helps women understand their rights and access free legal representation by speaking on their devices in the local language. Built in partnership with the Committee to Protect Journalists, Journalists’ Legal Assistant connects detained or threatened journalists with free legal assistance in real time. Our private dataset tools are built on verified legal information, and the attorneys we recommend are vetted. We will soon add speech-to-text and geolocation capabilities to pinpoint lawyers near your home, and plan to replicate these tools across Africa and Asia.
we are also making pro bono A lawyer is more effective. Even if help is available, it is often too late. Our pro bono assistants accelerate core legal work, including the creation of protective orders, one of the most effective remedies for abused women and children. Instead of struggling with thick documents, survivors can use tools to tell their story in their own words and create a legally compliant protection order request that can be reviewed by an attorney. We are developing a similar tool for journalists’ bail applications.
But when we use AI for justice, we must also face its risks. AI in the courtroom is growing rapidly, but it’s not necessarily safe. AI is triaging cases, drafting arguments, assessing witness credibility through facial expression analysis, and even generating avatars of murder victims to speak to defendants in court. AI tools have been implemented in all courts in China. Argentina’s official AI creates a verdict within 20 seconds and predicts the outcome of a case with 96% accuracy. The UK uses algorithms to assess risk of reoffending in bail and parole decisions. And courts around the world are grappling with deepfakes and manipulated evidence. Through the AI Justice Atlas, we track the use of AI in courtrooms around the world. How is it regulated? We are building Fair Trial Adviser, an AI system with enhanced textbook-based search capabilities. right to a fair trial international law – Give judges and lawyers real-time access to trusted standards. We will train more than 10,000 judges in 160 countries on the safe use of AI and propose new global rules to ensure fairness in trials in the age of AI.
Finally, we are working to ensure that our laws address the threat of cyberattacks. More than 130 countries are experiencing cyber disruption, with most state-sponsored attacks coming from North Korea, China, Russia, and Iran. These attacks don’t just steal data, they cripple financial systems, hospitals, schools, and elections. They obstruct the truth and amplify the lies. And the toll is staggering. From Costa Rica to Albania, ransomware has crippled government services, including border security. A cyber attack on an Irish hospital has disrupted treatment for hundreds of cancer patients. In another incident, a plane belonging to a senior European politician was targeted. An estimated 750 million cyberattacks are attempted every day. And we are now facing a new reality in which AI systems themselves are beginning to organize cyber campaigns. However, legal means to pursue accountability remain weak. So we consider how international law must evolve and work to close that justice gap, from proposals for a “digital Geneva Convention” to new evidentiary standards for proving those responsible for such crimes. A functioning justice system is the foundation of our most fundamental freedoms. We have the opportunity to shape how AI transforms it, and we have an obligation to do so responsibly. Fear of AI is extreme. But so is the potential, if you do it right.
Clooney and Webb are professors at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford and co-founders of the Oxford Institute of Technology and the Institute of Justice..
