Artificial Intelligence Can Make Our Jail System More Efficient, Equitable and Just

Artificial intelligence (AI), and algorithms more broadly, hold great promise for making our criminal justice system more efficient, equitable, and just. Many of these systems are already in place today, assisting with tasks such as risk assessment and case management. In the popular media, these tools have been compared to dystopian science-fiction scenarios run awry. But while these comparisons may succeed in luring readers, the reality of how AI is used in the criminal justice context-at least in its current form-is a bit more mundane. The courts are not at the precipice of replacing jurists with black-robed robots or arresting people before they commit a crime. However, there are real concerns about how effectively and transparently these systems operate, or how they might subtly distort outcomes, without adequate scrutiny.