Kazakhstan ahead of many countries in legal tech - IACA President on Kazakhstan's justice system and AI progress

How would you rate the current state of the judicial system in Kazakhstan in terms of effectiveness?

Well, that would be very hard for me to do. I know that they're making great strides here, but I can't rate the system without seeing the system and looking at the laws and the rules and the regulations. I'm here in just a short, very short period of time to attend a roundtable and to discuss court administration, the rule of law, and how well I think Kazakhstan is doing with reforms in judicial administration and the judiciary, but I can't rate it because I don't have enough information to do so. In general, I think great things are happening here in a very short period of time. I'm very impressed with the judiciary and what they are doing and the budget process, how it has changed, and court administration and what they strive to do. It is exemplary.

One of the key reforms Kazakhstan has adopted recently was changes to the laws regarding women’s and children’s safety. What is your opinion about these laws and their effectiveness?

I have not seen those laws, but I will say that across the world, globally, every country, region, jurisdiction needs to be looking at the laws involving children, women, and domestic violence. Domestic violence is a cultural issue. Children learn domestic violence growing up because they see it happening in their own homes. We need to break that culture, break that cycle of abuse everywhere in the world. I'm very passionate about children and families, and women in particular, and changing laws and having substantial hope for women in peril and children in peril because of safety issues. I don't know that law, but I would love to see what they're doing. Because if the laws are good, and they're effective, and the judiciary can work with them, we all will have a better society.

During the meeting with President Tokayev, the digitalization of the judicial system was discussed. What, in your opinion, are the prospects for the introduction of digitalization, and what risks does it entail?

What they're doing with digitizing records is phenomenal. It's cost-effective; it's efficient. When people can just file what they need to file through the electronic process, for the staff to then process those, and for judges then to look it up just on the month. It is cost-effective, and they are doing a very good job in Kazakhstan. The money and the efforts that have been put into this, I think, are helpful to the people. They're helpful to the judiciary, and they will save money, a lot of money, for many different things.

Do you think AI can be implemented as part of this process in the future?

Yes. I saw a great amount of work that has been done with AI. For me, looking at AI, courts across the globe are trying to implement AI. I think Kazakhstan is a little bit ahead of many countries because they've been working on the robot system for longer, I think, than most countries have done, so they are ahead in that initiative. But, I think, we all have to worry, because AI is bringing so much good to us, but there's going to be a bad side as well. We need to be looking at research, thinking ahead how this might hurt rather than help, because it's going to do both. I think, if we have a better idea of what the ramifications might be, we will be ahead of the game to then fix it or change it so it won't cause harm.

Currently, a draft law on AI regulation is being discussed in Kazakhstan. In your point of view, what should be taken into account when developing it and what is the perspective of its effectiveness in the current judicial process?

Well, the effectiveness can go a long way, with the AI and the robots behind analyzing what the filings are, for instance. That's what we saw. It's analyzing the filings coming in, the complaints coming in, and it's comparing what the decisions were in past cases, and so looking at how that maneuvers through the system is also a cost savings. But it's then we need to think about how we really utilize that and what the ramifications might be if something isn't exactly right. I worry about AI, and probably more so than most people. There will be ramifications, and what will they be? And I think studies need to be done quickly between the judiciary, state, and presidential. I think we need to look and see really where we're going with this.

Bouncing off the point about the future, what do you think the future holds for the judicial system of Kazakhstan?

I think with Mr. Nail [Editor’s note: Nail Akhmetzakirov, the Head of the Judicial Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan] as head of the court of administration, he is also vice president of the Central Asian region of our organization. He is passionate about his work, he is a visionary in his work. I think the judiciary is in good hands. He works well with the chairman of the Supreme Court. I think the vision that he holds and the bigger picture that he wants to muddle through and develop, I think the judiciary is in good hands.

Earlier, it was reported that President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has received Pamela Harris, President of the International Association for Court Administration.

They reviewed the key aspects of the judicial system reform, giving special attention to expansion of interaction between judicial authorities, prospects for application of digital solutions and AI in judicial proceedings.