The Pacific Judicial Council hosted a week-long conference focused on technology. Its theme is “Welcome to the new age.”

Judges and lawyers from Micronesia and American Samoa gathered on Saipan this week to discuss law and technology.

A major topic of discussion was the use of artificial intelligence in the judicial system, including its use in legal research and writing. Guam Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Torres moderated a panel on AI and the Judiciary Friday on the last day of the conference.

Chief Justice Torres told KUAM News. "Artificial intelligence is here to stay. It is transforming the way the legal profession and the judiciary operates. And we need to keep abreast of the developments in this area. And so it was important that as part of the Pacific Judicial Council's training here in Saipan, that we inform both judges and lawyers about the technology, about the changes in the environment that is occurring in the legal profession. So we can remain on the cutting edge as this new technology develops."

Torres added, "People are already starting to use it. Almost any law firm or court that uses Westlaw or LexisNexis are seeing modifications and improvements made to those legal research tools using artificial intelligence"

Torres discussed the potential benefits and harms of AI in the court system based on real-world cases in the mainland U.S.

He thanked the CNMI Judiciary for hosting the event.