UAE Public Prosecution’s 2045 Vision keeps humans in command of AI

Abu Dhabi - The principle guiding the UAE Public Prosecution's vision for AI in criminal justice is clear: human oversight remains paramount. During the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Counselor Salem Al Zaabi emphasized that AI should operate within well-defined legal, ethical, and institutional boundaries, rather than replacing human judgment.

This viewpoint underpins the UAE Public Prosecution's Future Prosecution 2045 vision, which aims to transform the justice system through digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and other emerging capabilities while preserving its constitutional, legal, and institutional foundations. Rather than merely introducing new tools, the vision seeks to create a justice system capable of responsibly leveraging technology.

Central to this approach is maintaining public trust in AI-driven criminal justice processes. Trust hinges on clearly established ethical principles, institutional policies, accountability mechanisms, and effective human oversight. To ensure this, the Public Prosecution's model integrates strategy, ethics, policy, governance, and oversight into a cohesive institutional framework.

One key aspect is delineating the roles of technology and humans. AI can assist prosecutors in tasks such as information retrieval, case organization, data analysis, pattern identification, summarization, and generating structured recommendations. However, final decisions with significant legal consequences remain exclusively human, subject to professional judgment and institutional accountability.

This distinction goes beyond merely placing a person "in the loop." Different levels of human control are implemented based on the potential impact and risk of AI-supported tasks, with stronger safeguards and greater human involvement as the potential effect on rights and legal interests rises. Counselor Al Zaabi stressed that AI can support judgment but does not assume the non-delegable responsibility of judicial decision-making.

In the broader context of criminal justice evolution, AI represents a significant transformation by potentially impacting multiple dimensions—crime, evidence, investigation, decision-making, and procedural safeguards. Drawing parallels with past transformations, Counselor Al Zaabi emphasized that change should not be rejected but governed properly.

The UAE Public Prosecution's approach begins with establishing a strategic, ethical, and institutional framework before deploying technology. This includes an AI strategy, ethical principles, institutional policies, oversight mechanisms, risk-based controls, and capability-building, all under the guiding principle of "governance first."

Public confidence in AI within the justice system can be strengthened through robust governance, which encompasses designing, approving, operating, monitoring, and reviewing AI applications. As practical applications unfold, specialized AI agents can assist prosecutors in functions such as case management, information retrieval, and file summarization, all within controlled access to authorized systems.

This governance-centric approach ensures that AI integrates seamlessly into the justice system, augmenting capabilities while preserving the critical role of human judgment and accountability.