A Shanghai court has become the first in China to officially adopt a new artificial intelligence-supported software to facilitate judicial hearings, according to state-owned newspaper Legal Daily.

The Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court on Wednesday used a technology dubbed the 206 System, jointly developed by tech company iFlytek and the country’s judicial, procuratorial, and public security organs. While the 206 System saw test runs in several Chinese cities last year — and different AI technology has been implemented in other courtrooms — the Shanghai court has become the first to formally adopt this new software.

The 206 System can accept verbal commands to display relevant information on digital screens. It is also able to transcribe speech throughout hearings and identify speakers according to their roles: judges, prosecutors, defendants, and more.

“At the trial, it can assist the judge to ascertain facts, identify evidence, protect the rights to sue and to a fair ruling, and ensure that the guilty are punished justly and the innocent not subject to criminal investigation,” said Guo Weiqing, president of the Shanghai court.

In recent years, judicial reforms using smart technology have been implemented to grant China’s courts and tribunals access to the nation’s central database of legal documents. Under the smart court system, the country had data on 122 million legal cases and over 6 million trial records by the end of 2017.

Editor: Bibek Bhandari.

(Header image: A projection shows a judge deciding on a ruling with the help of AI technology at a court in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, April 20, 2018. VCG)