Qatar seeks to harness AI in justice, legal systems: Justice minister

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DOHA: Minister of Justice HE Masoud bin Mohammed Al Amri has said that Qatar working to harness artificial intelligence (AI) systems and benefit from them in its judicial and legal systems.

In his keynote at the Law and Artificial Intelligence Conference held at Lusail University on Wednesday, the minister said that one of Qatar's first steps in that field was the Cabinet decision No 10 of 2021, on establishing the AI Committee in the Ministry of Transport and Communication.

He also pointed to Qatar's Participation in several international events on the use of AI systems, the latest of which was the International Conference on Justice held in Riyadh in March 2023.

Moreover, the minister touched on the historical beginnings of artificial intelligence, its concept, and its impact on many aspects of human life.

Al Amri pointed out that artificial intelligence has made great strides in recent years, as it has been used in many vital sectors such as medical diagnosis, military logistics services, self-driving vehicles and drones, applications that predict the outcome of judicial decisions, search engines, advertisements and translation.

He warned of the risks that could affect human life as a result of the use of artificial intelligence systems, saying that despite the many benefits of these systems, their use is fraught with many risks that can directly affect human life, rights, and freedoms.

Regarding security risks, he said that the danger of AI systems lies in that they may be used for illegal and illegitimate purposes, such as advanced digital warfare and smart weapons, which may threaten international peace and security.

President of Lusail University Professor Nitham Hindi addressed the conference which is organized by the university's College of Law, and coincides with World Law Day, Sep. 13. Artificial intelligence is one of the most important scientific fields that needs study and discussion from all scientific and legal aspects, he said.

He highlighted that organizing the conference stems from the university's responsibility and keenness to involve the Qatari and the international community in this discussion to produce recommendations capable of formulating a law regulating this field.

Prof. Hindi voiced confidence that the topics presented at the conference will receive their share of in-depth discussions in light of this presence of legal experts and specialists from several Arab countries.