The Director of Robotics and AI in Nigeria, Dr Olusola Ayoola, has said that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) was yet to be totally perfect in the dispensation of justice in Nigeria.
Ayoola said this on Tuesday at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA),Ibadan branch 2024 Law Week and 70th anniversary celebration.
Ayoola, who was the lead Speaker on the topic, “The Lawful Use of Robotics And Artificial Intelligence in Legal Practice In Nigeria”, said human intelligence remained critical to justice dispensation in Nigeria.
Ayoola emphasised that human intelligence was still needed in the Legal system in spite of the use of AI.
He called on policymakers to promote open source platforms for accessing, referencing and validating court judgments.
Ayoola said that there was the need for court judgments and processes to be in digital text formats and not scanned images.
“The judiciary should invest in training human capacity development and invest in solid infrastructure such as data centres dedicated to law related issues.
“The competition is global so let’s protect our market place,” he said.
The Chairman of the panel, Retired Justice Mojeed Owoade, said that AI would only assist legal practitioners in doing their jobs.
According to Owoade, AI will make the job easier and more efficient.
One of the panelists, Mr Oluseun Abimbola (SAN) says AI is not to stop hardworking but to assist hardworking with smartness.
“Although AI suggests some dependency on technology, the advantages out weighs the concerns.
“AI saves time, good for document review, helps in court room assistance and client engagement.
“You can be less relevant only when you don’t add value to your life and not necessarily by use of AI as many believe,” Abimbola said.
Also, a Technology Law Attorney, Mr Rotimi Ogunyemi, emphasised that AI could imitate human cognitive functions.
“AI’s ethical use is about accountability, which means that a human beings must be accountable in the use of it,” he said. (NAN)
