Most Nations Back Court AI With Human Oversight; US Dissents
United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice • United NationsSeptember 29, 2026
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Governments at the 15th UN Crime Congress lined up on Sept. 29, 2026, to showcase artificial intelligence in courtrooms, with nearly every speaker insisting judges, not machines, keep the final say. The United States broke from that consensus and formally asked that its objections to the Secretariat's working paper on gender, equality and AI safeguards be entered into the Congress report. No votes were taken, but the morning debate on Agenda Item 4 previewed where the Congress's final language is likely to be contested.
- AI in justice dominates. Russia, the U.K., Colombia and Thailand detailed court AI tools.
- U.S. objections go on the record. The delegate called UN norms non-binding and rejected quotas.
- Argentina joins the pushback on gender criteria in police and prosecution hiring.
- Victims as rights-holders. Italy, Switzerland and Japan expanded victim support and restorative justice.
- Legal aid and data. Uganda's fairness rating climbed from 47% to 69%.
Why it matters: AI drew more discussion than any other theme. It is also the clearest fault line heading into the Congress's final outcome: most states want guardrails, while Washington wants police to have a tech edge.
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