Humans and Justice Machines: Emergent Legal Technologies and Justice Apps

Abstract

Changing and emerging legal technologies have had, and will continue to have, a significant impact on the evolution of the justice system by assisting to inform, support and advise participants (supportive technologies), by replacing activities and functions that were previously carried out by humans (replacement technologies), and by significantly changing processes (disruptive technologies). While policymakers around the world are recognizing the need for ethical frameworks in the expansion of technology, foundational to such an expansion is the readiness of policymakers to adapt, implement and regulate 21st century machine-administered justice. This is particularly the case as technological change shapes justice in two key and interrelated ways: access to systems of justice and the dispensation of justice within those systems.

Keywords: justice machines, legal technologies, justice apps