Emerging technologies could have profound effects on legal processes, but are the ready for the courtroom?

Robots that analyse a defendant's body language to determine signs of guilt will replace judges by the year 2070, according to an artificial intelligence expert. Writer and speaker on AI Terence Mauri believes the machines will be able to detect physical and psychological signs of dishonesty with 99.9 per cent accuracy. He claims they will be polite, speak every known language fluently and will be able to detect signs of lying that couldn't be detected by a human. Robot judges will have cameras that capture and identify irregular speech patterns, unusually high increases in body temperature and hand and eye movements. Terence Mauri (pictured) is an AI expert, author and founder of Hack Future Lab, a global think tank.

Robots that analyse a defendant's body language to determine signs of guilt will replace judges by the year 2070, according to an artificial intelligence expert. Writer and speaker on AI Terence Mauri believes the machines will be able to detect physical and psychological signs of dishonesty with 99.9 per cent accuracy. He claims they will be polite, speak every known language fluently and will be able to detect signs of lying that couldn't be detected by a human. Robot judges will have cameras that capture and identify irregular speech patterns, unusually high increases in body temperature and hand and eye movements. Terence Mauri (pictured) is an AI expert, author and founder of Hack Future Lab, a global think tank.

Artificial intelligence has become a fundamental piece of everything from medical diagnostics technology to systems that analyze electoral candidates and provide accurate information to voters. However, you may still find many AI skeptics, and especially people who question the role of AI in the justice system. Many legal leaders and institutions are interested in the efficiency benefits AI brings to the field. But the big question is: can AI make the judicial system fairer? Many claim that the United States' judicial system is among the most robust in the world.

The Estonian Ministry of Justice has officially asked Ott Velsberg, the country's chief data officer, to design a "robot judge" to take care of a backlog of small claims court disputes, Wired reports. The artificial intelligence-powered "judge" is supposed to analyze legal documents and other relevant information and come to a decision. Though a human judge will have an opportunity to revise those decisions, the project is a striking example of justice by artificial intelligence. Estonia, a tiny Northern European nation of fewer than 1.4 million inhabitants, has made impressive strides in digitizing, streamlining, and modernizing its government functions. Estonia famously launched its "e-residency" program that allows practically anybody -- including foreigners -- to access Estonian government services.

Artificial intelligence has become an integral part of everything from medical diagnostics technology to systems that analyze electoral candidates and provide accurate information to voters. However, there are still many AI skeptics, and especially those who question the role of AI in the justice system. Many legal leaders and institutions are curious about the efficiency benefits AI brings to the field. But the big question is: can AI help make the judicial system fairer? Many claim that the United States' judicial system is one of the most robust in the world.

Artificial Intelligence is currently playing a significant role in our everyday life. Whether we're trying to classify plant species, Netflix viewing preferences or mortgage suitability, we depend on AI to handle it all for us. While having AI make everyday decisions for us is somewhat acceptable, using machines to determine guilt or innocence in court may seem a step too far. But the Estonian government doesn't think so. According to Wired, the Estonian Ministry of Justice has officially asked the country's chief data officer, Ott Velsberg, to design a robot judge.

It's likely that most people locked in our jails believe that with a better lawyer, a more lenient judge or a more understanding jury things might have been very different for them. Human error, they will say, is to blame for them being banged up. But can the human element be removed? Law firms are already using computer algorithms to perform background research other tasks traditionally performed by human staff. As computer researchers get closer to creating true Artificial Intelligence, it's predicted to eliminate most paralegal and legal research positions within the next decade.

Thanks to all this, Watanabe explained, no longer would gymnasts -- many of whom, he noted, had started gymnastics as young as age 3 and had trained competitively for more than a decade -- risk having their efforts unceremoniously wasted by human error or interference. "This is a step toward the challenge of justice through technology," Watanabe said. The debut of such technology at the biggest gymnastics meet outside the Olympics represented a meaningful milestone in a sport periodically marred by judging controversies and often wracked with questions about political influence in scoring decisions. For all the grand language, and for all the big-picture prophesying it has inspired about the future of sports -- baseball is already experimenting with robot umpires, and tennis is starting to expand electronic line-calling -- the steps unveiled in Stuttgart were preliminary, and fairly subtle. In gymnastics, at least, humans very much remain in control.

Estonia, a tiny Northern European nation of fewer than 1.4 million inhabitants, has made impressive strides in digitizing, streamlining, and modernizing its government functions. Estonia famously launched its "e-residency" program that allows practically anybody -- including foreigners -- to access Estonian government services.