Sharjah Judicial Council approves AI rules, environment court

Sharjah has approved a new framework governing the use of artificial intelligence across its judicial system and agreed to establish a specialised public prosecution and court for municipal and environmental affairs. The decisions were taken at a meeting of the Sharjah Judicial Council on Thursday, chaired by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Judicial Council, at the Sharjah Judicial Department. The newly approved governance guide for the management and use of artificial intelligence technologies in the judicial system sets out a unified framework for the controlled and secure deployment of AI in judicial and administrative work. The guide covers AI use cases, risk management, data protection, cybersecurity and human oversight, providing safeguards for the use of emerging technologies in the justice system. It also establishes controls for the lifecycle of AI systems, including procedures for monitoring and auditing their performance and use. The council also approved the creation of a specialised public prosecution and court for municipal and environmental affairs. The new judicial structure is intended to improve the handling of cases in these areas, speed up procedures and enhance the quality of judicial work through greater specialisation.