Virtual Reality Worlds and the Law: How Judges Can Keep Up with the Rapidly Evolving Technology

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are rapidly changing the trial processes in the courtroom. VR and AR can be used to recreate crime scenes, present complex data in real-time, and provide an interactive and immersive experience for the audience, all of which have important implications for the justice system. 

This is not only a timely topic, but it is also a crucial one. As technology advances, it is imperative that the legal system keeps pace to ensure that it remains fair, just, and effective. VR and AR have the potential to significantly impact how trials are conducted, how evidence is presented, and how justice is delivered. Already in 2016, Virtual reality helped Germany try war criminals. More recently, a court in Colombia held its first trial in the metaverse. Therefore, it is important to explore their current use and potential impact, while also discussing how to ensure that they are used in a way that is consistent with the principles of justice and fairness. 

This webinar is part of UNESCO’s series of webinars for judicial operators as part of its AI and the Rule of Law Programme. The webinars are organised in partnership with the National Judicial College (United States), Lawyers Hub (Kenya), the Centre for Communication Governance, National Law University Delhi (India) and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Costa Rica).

Opening Remarks:

• Benes Aldana, President of the National Judicial College, United States
• Linda Bonyo, Founding Director at Africa Law Tech and the Founder of the Lawyers Hub; a Pan-African Digital policy and Justice innovation organization, and Digital Law and Data Governance expert working on the Regulation of emerging Technologies in Africa and its impact globally.

Moderator:

• Ameen Jauhar, Senior Resident Fellow and Team Lead at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy

Opening Keynote:

• Shriya Pandey, IP expert and Media Laws in India, Co-founder and administrator of Metaverse Legal

Experts: 

• Magistrate Maria Victoria Quiñones Triana, Magistrate at the administrative court of Magdalena - in the northern Caribbean city of Santa Marta Columbia that held a court session from Metaverse to hear a case against the Colombian Ministry of Defense and the National Police
• Casie Millhouse, Founding member Augmented Equality, VR and AR specialist at Meta, Founder Immersive – Capital Matching Tool, Singapore
• Linda Bonyo, Founding Director at Africa Law Tech and the Founder of the Lawyers Hub; a Pan-African Digital policy and Justice innovation organization, and Digital Law and Data Governance expert working on the Regulation of emerging Technologies in Africa and its impact globally.
• Mark Roman Miller, Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Stanford University, and incoming Assistant Professor, Computer Science at Illinois Institute of Technology

We hope that you will join us for what promises to be a timely, thought-provoking, interactive and informative webinar! 

The other webinars will address: 

The use of AI is becoming increasingly widespread in our society, and the legal profession is no exception. As AI technology continues to develop, it is crucial that we have a clear understanding of its implications for the rule of law.  

This series of webinars will provide an opportunity for us to explore the legal and ethical challenges presented by AI and to identify ways to ensure that the use of AI in the legal system is consistent with the principles of justice and fairness.