Artificial intelligence (AI) technology was used in court in China for the first time this week, when a new system installed at a local court in Shanghai was used to present evidence, highlight flaws in the chain of evidence, and transcribe the proceedings.

A public prosecutor reviews evidence presented by the AI system during a hearing at a Shanghai court on Wednesday, January 23, 2019. (Photo: Legal Daily)

According to a report in Legal Daily, the AI system incorporates a large database on criminal laws and regulations, evidence standards, case histories, and the records of investigators. Designed by researchers in China, it is designed to capture data from the early stage of a police investigation through to the court hearing.

"It not only helps frontline police handle a case; it also helps procuratorates improve the accuracy and efficiency of their case reviews and the public prosecution process," said Guo Weiqing, a court president in Shanghai familiar with the new system. "In particular, it can help judges identify facts and verify evidence… and safeguard justice in the trial judgment, effectively preventing wrongful convictions," Guo told journalists with Legal Daily.