SINGAPORE: To help self-represented individuals handle their own cases, consumers seeking quick redress against errant merchants will soon be able to use a generative AI tool provided by the courts to help condense lengthy documents into more accessible text.
Individuals filing or responding to claims in the small claims tribunals – where consumers can seek claims of up to S$20,000 (US$15,600) or S$30,000 where mutually agreed – can use the tool to improve their understanding of the cases and help them prepare their court documents.
The tool was launched on Wednesday (Sep 10) for use only by tribunal magistrates to summarise case documents, and will be rolled out to claimants and respondents in November, with the specific date to be announced later, the Singapore Courts said in a release.
The tool was developed by the Singapore judiciary in collaboration with Harvey AI. The Singapore Courts signed a memorandum of understanding with the American start-up to use its technology for two years in 2023. They renewed and expanded their collaboration in another such memorandum on Sep 8 this year.
The new feature builds on an earlier generative AI-powered document translation service as part of a broader effort to enable better access to justice through technology.
Claimants and respondents in the small claims tribunals are self-represented and no lawyers are involved.
Last year, there were more than 11,000 cases handled by the small claims tribunals, compared with more than 10,000 in 2023 and more than 9,000 in 2022.
Currently, claimants and respondents file their own papers, which can include receipts, WhatsApp correspondence and other evidence. They have to read through sometimes voluminous documents from the opposing side while preparing their own.
With the new AI summary tool, tribunal magistrates can now also use it to prepare for trial with “a good understanding of the facts involved in each dispute”, said the Singapore Courts.
“By streamlining the analysis of documents, the tool allows tribunal magistrates to focus their time and expertise on the more complex aspects of a case, ensuring that high standards of judicial adjudication are maintained even as the volume of claims continue to rise,” said the Singapore Courts.
HOW THE TOOL WORKS
Claimants and respondents are able to see documents uploaded by themselves and the other party on the Community Justice and Tribunals System (CJTS) portal online.
There will be a new tab for the AI generation of the summary, and users can select which documents they want to be summarised.
The summary takes 10 to 15 minutes. There will also be logs of previous requests for such summaries in the user’s system.
