In her State of the Judiciary Speech this week, Alaska Chief Justice Susan Carney acknowledged unacceptable delays in the court system’s processing of criminal cases, and vowed to speed up processing times. A media investigation earlier in the year found that the length of time needed to try the most serious felony cases in Alaska had tripled in the past decade.
Chief Justice Carney also noted efforts to improve the civil justice system, including in areas of family law and estate administration. The court system will be employing a generative AI chatbot to help people navigate the often arcane rules of estate processing after a loved one’s death.
This seems like an excellent use of AI (assuming, as always, that it provides accurate and reliable information). It can help ordinary people understand their obligations in handling an estate at lower cost and less time. I imagine that many court systems will look to implement this type of AI technology in the near term.