SLATE VII: Problems with Probability
January
17
Friday
| Speaker: | Professor Anthony Niblett Professor and Canada Research Chair in Law, Economics, & Innovation Faculty of Law University of Toronto |
| Moderator: | Associate Professor Daniel Seng Co-Director, Centre for Technology, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & the Law NUS Law |
| Time: | 12:00 pm to 1:15 pm (SGT) |
| Venue: | SR 5-5 NUS Law, Bukit Timah Campus 469G Bukit Timah Road |
| Type of Participation: | Open To Public |
Description
Some countries have explored the idea of using artificial intelligence (AI) systems to help triage the backlog of cases and facilitate the resolution of civil disputes. In theory, AI can accomplish this by establishing the facts of cases and predicting the outcomes of disputes. But the use of AI in the courtroom gives rise to new problems. AI technologies help solve prediction problems. These solutions are typically expressed as probabilities. How should judges incorporate these predictions in their decision making? There is no obviously correct approach for converting probabilistic predictions of legal outcomes into binary legal decisions. Any approach that does so has benefits and drawbacks. Importantly, a balance of probabilities approach – where liability is established if the AI predicts a likelihood of liability greater than 50 per cent and not otherwise – is not suitable when converting a predicted outcome into an actual outcome. This paper argues that adopting this approach would significantly alter the outcomes of legal cases and have a dramatic and disruptive effect upon the law. It opines that the most notable disruption would be observed in settlement behaviour and outcomes.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Anthony Niblett researches artificial intelligence, innovation, contract law, competition policy, and judicial behaviour. You can find some of his research papers here.
Professor Niblett joined the Faculty of Law in 2011. He teaches Contract Law, Torts, Competition Policy, Economic Analysis of Law, and Legal Methods.
Professor Niblett is the Academic Advisor at the Future of Law Lab at the Faculty and an Affiliate Researcher with the Vector Institute for AI. In 2019, Professor Niblett gave a TEDx talk on machine learning and law.
Professor Niblett holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard as well as degrees in law and commerce from the University of Melbourne. He was a Bigelow Fellow at the University of Chicago before moving to Canada.
In addition to his academic career, Professor Niblett is a co-founder of Blue J, a start-up using AI to help tax and legal professionals.
Fees Applicable
S$98.10 (inclusive of GST)
Complimentary for full-time NUS staff and students. Please register using your NUS email address.
CPD Points
1 (TBC)
Practice Area: Telecommunications, Media & Technology
Training Level: Foundation
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