Artificial intelligence is transforming justice systems across Asia and the Pacific faster than the frameworks meant to govern it. UNDP's new two-volume publication examines this transformation and sets out a people-centred justice and human rights-based roadmap for responsible AI in the justice sector.

The Algorithm in the Courtroom: How Artificial Intelligence Is Reshaping Justice and the Rule of Law Across Asia and the Pacific is UNDP's most comprehensive regional analysis to date. It maps the evolving intersection of artificial intelligence and justice — from AI-powered legal research and case management to automated transcription, multilingual translation, online dispute resolution and chatbot-based legal aid — across courts, law enforcement, legal aid and the legal and regulatory frameworks governing their adoption. Drawing on country case studies, use cases, and a regional landscape review, the report documents the opportunities AI offers for expanding access to justice and the risks it poses to fair trial, due process, judicial independence and equality before the law. It advances a Human Rights-Based Approach grounded in multiple foundational principles and calls for a regional architecture of shared standards and safeguards to anchor responsible AI adoption in the algorithmic age.

Responsible AI in Justice: Regional Policy Guidance for UNDP Programming in Asia-Pacific is the operational companion. It translates the regional analysis into concrete programming recommendations, decision-making frameworks and operational tools for UNDP country offices and partner institutions, including country-tailored programme entry points and a roadmap for development cooperation on responsible AI in the justice sector.

Together, the two publications are designed to support courts, ministries of justice, legal aid bodies, regulators, civil society and development partners across Asia and the Pacific in advancing people-centred and rights-based justice systems through the responsible use of AI.