FOR 5906 - SP 4: Chances and limitations of machine-based decision-making in criminal proceedings

Basic data for this project

Description

The interdisciplinary legal-psychological sub-project 4 is dedicated to the future role of machine-assisted decision-making by artificial intelligence (AI) in criminal proceedings governed by the rule of law - proceedings that are shaped by a tension between the goals of reliable fact-finding, protection of the accused, and procedural efficiency. Focusing on particularly practice-relevant areas such as prognostical decisions and the evaluation of evidence, the subproject examines how key principles of criminal procedure, constitutional law, and European law (e.g., judicial independence, the presumption of innocence) may be reinterpreted in light of AI involvement. It also investigates the psychological acceptance of potential AI use from the perspectives of different stakeholders (judges, defense lawyers, trial observers). To this end, the sub-project combines legal-dogmatic analyses with empirical research from behavioral sciences, while also taking into account technological feasibility. The aim of sub-project 4 is to define specific requirements and develop recommendations for how AI can be implemented in criminal proceedings from a legal, psychological and technical perspective. The sub-project thus shows how jurisprudence can draw on insights from other disciplines in response to AI development. The focus of sub-project 4 on criminal proceedings is complemented within the research group by sub-project 5, which pursues a similarly interdisciplinary approach in the area of civil procedure law.