--- title: "Estonia is Building a “Robot Judge” to Help Clear Legal Backlog" description: "## Robo-Judge" date: "2019-03-25" modified: "2019-03-25" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/estonia-robot-judge" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "algorithms" - "artificial intelligence" - "estonia" - "the digest" --- # Estonia is Building a “Robot Judge” to Help Clear Legal Backlog ![The Estonian Ministry of Justice is officially designing a  "robot judge" that could take care of a backlog of small claims court disputes.]() *\Image: QuinceMedia via Pixabay/Victor Tangermann\* ## Robo-Judge The Estonian Ministry of Justice has officially asked Ott Velsberg, the country's chief data officer, to design a "robot judge" to take care of a backlog of small claims court disputes, [*Wired* reports](). The artificial intelligence-powered "judge" is supposed to analyze legal documents and other relevant information and come to a decision. Though a human judge will have an opportunity to revise those decisions, the project is a striking example of justice by artificial intelligence. ## E-stonia Estonia, a tiny Northern European nation of fewer than 1.4 million inhabitants, has made impressive strides in digitizing, streamlining, and modernizing its government functions. Estonia famously [launched its "e-residency" program]() that allows practically anybody — including foreigners — to access Estonian government services. Its digital national ID smartcard blazed the trail of next-generation government-issued IDs — despite its (significant) [security vulnerabilities](). And it's not just the court system that's getting an AI overhaul in the country — in fact, AI already has automated a number of government functions. It's [scanning satellite images]() with algorithms to determine if subsidized farming operations are following government-mandated rules. AI algorithms are even [scanning the resumes]() of laid-off workers to find them jobs. ## Power of AI It wouldn't be the first time an algorithm has taken care of legal issues. For instance, a UK-based chatbot helped overturn [over 100,000 parking tickets]() in London and New York. But it does mark the power of artificial intelligence and how it could not only streamline government operations and clear up huge backlogs — if, that is, we find and overcome [the biases]() inherent in today's automation algorithms. **READ MORE:** [Can AI Be a Fair Judge in Court? Estonia Thinks So]() \[*Wired*\] **More on Estonia:** *[Estonia To Offer Free Genetic Testing, And Other Nations May Follow]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()