Exeter College Fellow helps launch global AI training programme for judges
Exeter College Fellow by Special Election, Professor Philippa Webb, has played a leading role in the development of a major new international training programme designed to help judges navigate the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence in judicial systems.
Professor Webb served as Academic Co-Director of AI, Justice, and the Rule of Law, a new massive open online course developed under the auspices of UNESCO in partnership with the University of Oxford’s Faculty of Law, Saïd Business School and Blavatnik School of Government. The course is being offered free of charge to up to 100,000 judges and judicial professionals across 100 countries, with support from the European Union.
The programme was formally launched by UNESCO and the University of Oxford earlier this year. A short introductory film featuring members of the academic team outlines the aims of the initiative and its ambition to support judges worldwide as they navigate the growing use of artificial intelligence in courts and tribunals.
As courts around the world increasingly adopt AI technologies to support legal research, evidence analysis, translation and case management, the programme provides practical guidance on how these tools can be used responsibly while safeguarding judicial independence, due process, human rights, and public trust. Through six modules, participants explore issues including algorithmic bias, transparency, accountability, access to justice and the protection of women’s rights in the age of AI.
Professor Webb, who is Professor of Public International Law at the Blavatnik School of Government and Co-Founder and Director of the Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice, provided the academic leadership for the programme alongside Professor Ignacio Cofone, Professor of Law and Regulation of AI at Oxford’s Faculty of Law and Institute for Ethics in AI. The course draws on UNESCO’s Global Toolkit on AI and the Rule of Law for the Judiciary and brings together international case studies, legal expertise and practical judicial experience.
Alongside her work on the programme, Professor Webb recently delivered the annual Ruth Steinkraus-Cohen International Law Lecture, co-sponsored by the United Nations Association, the Bar Council and the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS. Her lecture, entitled Toppling Heads: Regime Change, Immunity and International Law, examined the legal challenges arising from political transitions and the treatment of former heads of state under international law.
Further information about the AI, Justice, and the Rule of Law programme is available here.
