Kirby Seminar Series 2019

Thursday, 14 November at 1pm

Oorala Lecture Theatre, E22 Oorala Centre

 Professor Tania Sourdin

Professor Tania Sourdin is the Dean of the University of Newcastle Law School and was previously the Foundation Chair and Director of the Australian Centre for Justice Innovation (ACJI) at Monash University in Australia.

In the past two decades, she has conducted qualitative and quantitative research projects into aspects of the dispute resolution and justice system systems in 12 Courts and Tribunals and six external dispute resolution schemes within Australia. Other research has focused on justice innovation, technology, delay and systemic reforms. In 2003 and 2005 she was the Chief Investigator on two Australian Research Council projects that explored the use of artificial intelligence in the legal domain. Since that time she has had a number of projects that have explored the use of AI in the justice system. Recently, Professor Sourdin has focused on Judges and AI and has published papers such as “Judge v Robot” (2018), chapters that include “Must a Judge be Human?”(2018) and books – “The Responsive Judge” (Springer, 2018), “The Multi Tasking Judge” (Thomson Reuters, 2012). She is currently working on her book “The Artificial Judge” (2020, Edward Elgar). She is also currently reviewing justice apps as well as undertaking research relating to the client experience of tech enabled justice options.

Professor Sourdin is the author of a number of more than 110 books, articles and papers, that are focussed on justice reform issues and has published and presented widely on a range of topics including ADR, justice innovation, justice issues, mediation, conflict resolution, collaborative law, artificial intelligence, technology and organisational change. Professor Sourdin has led national research projects and produced important recommendations for ADR and justice reform within Australia and internationally. She has also retained a part time practice focus and has worked for more than 30 years as a lawyer, 25 years in various senior part time tribunal positions and as a mediator and has since 2014 been the National Broadband Network (a $40 Billion plus project) industry dispute resolution advisor within Australia.

presents

Technology, Judges and AI

 Developments in technology are reshaping society. Whilst many human activities have changed over time as a result of human advances, more recent shifts in the context of technological change are likely to have a broader impact on some human functions that have previously been largely undisturbed. In this regard, technology is already changing the practise of law and will reshape the process of judging by either replacing, supporting or supplementing the judicial role. The changes are likely to be significant because the fourth industrial revolution with an unparalleled focus on artificial intelligence is directed at almost all human activities. As a result, judging, particularly in terms of the adjudicative function, is arguably more susceptible to change than at any point in the last two centuries. This seminar explores how Artificial Intelligence ‘Judge AI’ may develop, the ethical issues raised by these changes and the future of judging by humans.