The Kota Kinabalu magistrate court meted out sentences with assistance from artificial intelligence (AI). This is a first for the Malaysian judiciary. The Malay Mail reports that four cases were heard by magistrate Jessica Ombou Kakayun, who meted out sentences to two accused after reviewing recommendations from the AI.
The AI itself doesn’t pass any sentences, but merely provides recommendations. These are made based on precedence found in the courts database between 2014 and 2019. This is so that sentences are consistent from one case to another, which is a common complaint.
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Tan Sri David Wong, Chief Justice for Sabah and Sarawak, said the using AI also speeds up the judicial process. Having it go through previous cases means the magistrate doesn’t have to while listening to submissions.
Currently, the AI is being used for two offences. They are drug possession under Section 12 of the Dangerous Drug Act, and rape under Section 378 of the Penal Code. In the future, it will be used in civil cases as well.
This is definitely another interesting application of AI in Malaysia. An earlier, but very recent example was MyEG’s AI-powered coronavirus risk profiling system, which it made available to Malaysia and the Philippines.
(Source: Malay Mail)
