Legal AI research center unveiled in Beijing

An artificial intelligence research center for law and legal issues was unveiled in Beijing at Peking University on Friday, to explore the use of related technology and develop expertise.

At the same time a seminar on AI and justice was held in the college, attracting legal and technology experts and officials from authorities and institutes, such as the Ministry of Public Security and China's Cyberspace Administration.

"We always pay close attention to the connection between law and AI, and with fast technological developments, we decided to build the center to study the industry and put our findings into practice," said Zhang Shouwen, director of the center.

The center also provides a base to educate interdisciplinary experts, according to him.

Sun Fuhui, an official from the Supreme People's Court, said during the seminar that AI is a good assistant for Chinese courts, as it not only increases legal efficiency, but also reduces the burden on judges.

Chinese courts accepted about 25 million cases in 2017, and the number of cases each judge handled has also risen, he said.

"How to solve the problem of the rising number of cases and the limited number of judges has become a heated issue in courts," he said, adding that informative technologies, such as AI, are helping to alleviate the problem.

"We use networks to open judgments to the public, helping them to understand court work," he said. "Meanwhile, the technological platforms streamline our case handling procedures, saving our time and energy," he added.

Liu Pinxin, a law professor at Renmin University of China, said the center is a pioneering combination of law and advanced technology and its studies and practices will lead development in the sector in the world.