Artificial Intelligence and Justice Systems: Promoting Sustainable Development, Safeguarding Human Rights, Access to Justice and the Rule of Law

Side event of the UN 11th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals

This event is co-organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, the Justice Action Coalition, and Costa Rica.

This side event will discuss implications for access to justice, efficiency and accountability, while identifying common human rights and rule-of-law challenges, including bias and discrimination, transparency, automation bias, infringements on the right to privacy, and potential impacts on judicial independence. The discussion will also highlight initial approaches to addressing these challenges in practice and briefly reflect on emerging judicial responses to artificial intelligence (AI)-related disputes, with a view to identifying opportunities for cross-regional learning and dialogue on the responsible and inclusive use of AI in justice systems, consistent with international human rights standards.

Context

AI is increasingly affecting sustainable development, including by shaping the functioning of the administration of justice at the national level, which impacts all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Courts are increasingly being called upon to adjudicate disputes directly linked to AI and automated decision-making across sectors, including access to public services, which impacts a wide range of SDGs. Courts are deciding cases involving technology and human rights, such as privacy and data protection, algorithmic discrimination, bias in the use of facial recognition technologies, the criminal justice system, cybercrime, and the use of AI by public authorities and private actors. Through this growing body of jurisprudence, courts will play a critical role in interpreting and applying international human rights law in the digital context, including safeguards related to due process, equality and non-discrimination, and the right to an effective remedy, as underscored by OHCHR in the recent Human Rights Council report on discrimination and unequal enjoyment of privacy in the context of data collection and processing, including through AI (see A/HRC/60/45).

This role situates the judiciary at the heart of global debates on AI governance and the rule of law. UN human rights guidance stresses that AI deployment in justice systems must be compatible with international human rights law, reinforce judicial independence, and strengthen rather than weaken access to justice and accountability. In particular, States have a duty to prevent the adverse impact of AI on human rights and to ensure that individuals have access to effective remedies when AI systems adversely affect their rights, including through independent and competent judicial oversight. Identifying how courts are navigating these challenges and where risks and good practices are emerging is an important step towards directing developments towards human rights-compliant practices. It is also crucial that the justice sector is included in the development and implementation of national STI roadmaps and strategies.

People’s direct experience of rights and regulations under AI governance occurs through the justice system. To ensure human rights are safeguarded, AI deployment and legislation must be paired with capacity building in the broader legal sector—including frontline justice workers who provide people with knowledge and support to resolve their legal needs. A people-centered approach to justice, one that prioritizes the use of data and evidence to design outcome-oriented services grounded in people’s lived experiences and pertinent legal needs, can help advance redress, accountability, and participatory mechanisms within multifaceted domestic legal systems.

Finally, systematically integrating human rights into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda has shown potential to accelerate progress towards achieving the Goals, as evidenced by the OHCHR report presented at the current council session (A/HRC/61/13). Therefore, efforts to advance access to justice for all, including the most marginalized, through adequately regulated AI tools can contribute to more just and sustainable development.

Objectives

This side event will discuss implications for access to justice, efficiency, and accountability, while identifying common human rights and rule-of-law challenges, including bias and discrimination, transparency, automation bias, infringements on the right to privacy, and potential impacts on judicial independence.

The discussion will also highlight initial approaches to addressing these challenges in practice and briefly reflect on emerging judicial responses to AI-related disputes, with a view to identifying opportunities for cross-regional learning and dialogue on responsible and inclusive AI use in justice systems, consistent with international human rights standards and with an understanding of people’s lived experiences.

The side event will also be an opportunity to convene a multistakeholder discussion on AI and justice to inform the inaugural Global Dialogue on AI Governance to be held in July 2026. The discussion will aim to find practical governance tools, such as algorithmic impact assessments, transparency requirements, and audit mechanisms that court and justice systems may consider when adopting AI tools.

Format

The event will be held in a hybrid format, with in-person participation in New York during the 2026 Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum), and remote participation online. It will feature two focused segments, with speakers from Member States across regional groups, as well as contributions from other stakeholders, including civil society, academia, the private sector, and the technical community.