The use of AI in the process of solving organisational issues in the work of the court has a great future, and these approaches should be implemented today - SC President

The effective functioning of the Unified Judicial Information and Telecommunication System is undoubtedly necessary and important both for the participants in court proceedings and for the state as a whole. The task of its implementation, taking into account modern approaches to the administration of justice, is entrusted to the judicial system, and we are not at the beginning of the road in this matter.   

It is generally accepted that the functioning of the UJITS was first envisaged in the 2017 procedural codes, but in fact information technology began to be used in the process of organising the work of the courts much earlier.

This was stated by President of the Supreme Court Stanislav Kravchenko during the discussion of the draft Concept of the UJITS organised by the USAID Justice for All Program.

Thus, back in 2010-2011, the system of automated distribution of court cases was introduced. At the same time, the mechanism of technical recording of court hearings was being developed, which ensured openness, publicity and transparency of trials.

In 2017, the Supreme Court took a step in advance by applying the approaches laid down in the procedural rules that were tied to the introduction of the UJITS. In particular, it was about the specifics of case distribution and the formation of panels. More than 6 years have passed since then, and last year and this year were marked by radical changes in approaches to the implementation of the UJITS.

The full functioning of this system, according to the President of the Supreme Court, will help solve a number of problems, including logistical ones, and will significantly save money on sending mail and reduce the time for consideration of cases.

At the same time, the proposed models for implementing the UJITS have been under development for quite some time, so it is obvious that they should be revised to take into account new trends in information technology and modern possibilities of their application.

The President of the Supreme Court also noted that one of the key topics discussed at last year's conference of the Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union was the use of artificial intelligence in the work of courts.

‘While the issue of using AI in the process of drafting a judgment is quite controversial, as AI cannot replace a judge in this aspect, the opinion of the conference participants was unanimous regarding the use of IT products in the process of resolving organisational issues, in particular, the distribution of cases: this is undoubtedly a great future, and these approaches to work organisation should be implemented today,’ Stanislav Kravchenko said.

In conclusion, the SC President expressed his gratitude to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy for its assistance and support in finding the best ways to implement the UJITS in a form that meets the needs of the judiciary and takes into account the modern possibilities of using information technology.

‘The Supreme Court is ready to take the lead in this matter, and the entire judicial community will actively support the implementation of the UJITS, so everyone who depends on the implementation of this project can count on us,’ Stanislav Kravchenko assured.