In a keynote speech during the opening of the Law and Artificial Intelligence Conference at Lusail University in September, the Minister of Justice said that the State of Qatar is working to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) in its judicial and legal systems. The conference was organised by the university’s College of Law, and coincided with World Law Day, 13 September.
HE Masoud bin Mohammed Al Ameri, Minister of Justice, said that the first step taken is the establishment of the Artificial Intelligence Committee at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, further to Cabinet Decision No 10 of 2021.
The AI Committee is responsible for developing and implementing the Qatar National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, which was first introduced in 2019. HE the Minister of Justice commented that the mechanisms to implement the Qatar Artificial Intelligence Strategy is in coordination with ministries and relevant authorities, and includes supervising programmes and initiatives, developing recommendations for plans and programmes for preparing human cadres, and supporting emerging companies in this field.
Qatar National Artificial Intelligence Strategy
The Qatar National AI Strategy is based on six pillars – education, data access, employment, business, research, and ethics – that will help guide Qatar towards an AI future.
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Committee
The committee members were appointed by HE the Minister of Communications and Information Technology under Decision No 10 of 2022, with Hassan Jassim Al Sayed as chairman.
The committee includes representatives from the following entities: • Ministry of Interior • Ministry of Commerce and Industry • Ministry of Education and Higher Education • Qatar Science and Technology Park • Hamad Bin Khalifa University • Qatar University • Qatar National Research Fund • Qatar Development Bank.
According to the Minister, the State of Qatar has participated in many international events on the use of AI systems, most recently at the International Judicial Conference held in Riyadh in March 2023, which discussed the use of AI tools to enhance the quality of drafting legislation, improving justice, and court management.
This in turn has affected the future of judicial technologies, with this latest conference at Lusail University being a platform to discuss arguably one of the most important and fastest-growing topics of the current age, and its associated impact on life, rights and freedom.
AI has made great progress over the last few years, being used in areas such as medical diagnosis, military logistics services, self-driving vehicles and drones, and applications that predict the outcome of judicial decisions. There are more popular uses for the general public, like search engines, targeted advertising via social media, virtual assistants (eg Siri and Alexa), translation of languages, and facial recognition on a smartphone. Who hasn’t used ChatGPT recently?
And AI has been already been used in a trial setting within the judicial process. In May 2023, the Public Prosecution announced AI technology will be used to convert words into text, which will be used in the investigation sessions, and writing the minutes and memorandums to end the legal procedures. This should speed up the judicial process and improve the accuracy and quality of information.
Violating the right to privacy is one of the problems of artificial intelligence systems
However, there are risks that could affect human life from using artificial intelligence systems. The Minister said:
‘Despite the many benefits of these systems, their use is fraught with many risks that can directly affect human life, rights and freedoms,’ and that ‘some research and scientific institutions have recommended that artificial intelligence and robotic systems be proven error-free, as they are unsafe and their use should be limited.’
He continued by pointing out the most important problems raised by the use of artificial intelligence systems, including ‘algorithmic bias and lack of neutrality,’ as the systems collect data, analyse it and learn from it. If the data is biased ie not neutral, outputs will be biased; if the data is fair, it covers all patterns.
This algorithmic bias may occur in credit ratings, job screening and employment, public housing applications, and other subjects that require impartiality in their processing. The Minister continued that there are also possible security risks:
‘The danger of artificial intelligence 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.’
Do artificial intelligence systems violate intellectual property rights?
Protection of intellectual property (IP) rights are one of the issues raised by artificial intelligence systems. Collecting, using, and sharing personal data with artificial intelligence systems without explicit permission or consent may be incompatible with the established protection for this data, leading to a serious violation of the law.
Using artificial intelligence systems also lack transparency, as the majority of modern artificial intelligence applications cannot explain how they reached a decision. This suggests that the large relationship between inputs and outputs in AI systems and the inherent complexity makes it difficult even for experts to explain how outputs are produced. Those that are harmed by the algorithm’s decision are unable to obtain an explanation, challenge it or complain about it, as the reasons on which it was based do not exist.
Qatar’s artificial intelligence usage
In accordance with Qatar National Vision 2030, the country is using AI in order to promote economic diversification, improve public services, and establish itself as a global leader in new technologies.
Qatar was one of first countries in the Middle East to introduce a national data privacy law. Law No 13 of 2016 on Personal Data Privacy Protection refers to personal data that is electronically processed, or obtained, gathered or extracted in preparation for electronic processing, or when a combination of electronic and traditional processing is used. It establishes guidelines for this collection, processing, and transfer of personal data.
Full details of this law can be found in Digital Qatar.
In the panel discussion ‘Artificial Intelligence in Real Life’ at the Qatar Economic Forum held in May 2023, HE President of the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa said that Qatar follows European guidelines in utilising AI, integrating it in many applications and regulating laws, as well as solidifying smart e-governance.
The session’s keynote speakers stated that while it is important to be wary while using this technology, as the AI or machine does not have the ethical or value tenets of a human being, this field will dramatically evolve further for individuals and governments, and that everyone should therefore be trained on its uses.
Measures are now being taken to establish a legal framework that promotes innovation while recognising the potential risks associated with AI, which will lead to the introduction of the Artificial Intelligence Law.
Author: Sarah Palmer
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