NYU Gets $250K Grant to Put People First in AI Justice

More than five billion people live beyond the reach of the justice systems meant to protect them, and artificial intelligence is already reshaping those systems without asking the communities most affected. Now, a $250,000 grant is changing that conversation.

The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation just awarded NYU's Center on International Cooperation funding to develop the first international framework for people-centered AI in justice systems. The project will help governments adopt AI tools that actually close the justice gap instead of widening it.

The framework will be created over six months with input from the Justice Action Coalition, a group of 19 countries and 24 organizations working to improve justice outcomes worldwide. Three national governments will then pilot customized versions of the guidance.

"If a Minister or a Supreme Court Justice decides to develop an AI and justice strategy that is people-centered, we want this framework to be a tool to guide that process," said Fernando Marani, Deputy Director at the Center on International Cooperation. The flexible approach lets countries adapt the guidance to their own contexts and experiences with AI.

The project addresses an urgent timing problem. AI is being adopted in courtrooms and legal systems at breakneck speed, often without safeguards for human rights or input from affected communities. This framework gives justice leaders practical tools to make better decisions right now.

Nate Edwards, who leads the project, emphasized that the framework puts people's lived experiences at the center of policy design. It will help governments strengthen their legal systems to harness AI's opportunities while protecting human rights, ensuring accountability, and providing remedies when harm occurs.

The Ripple Effect

This initiative bridges a critical gap between the global justice community, technologists, and digital governance experts. By bringing these groups together, the project creates a model for how AI can be developed with justice and equity built in from the start.

The framework works on two tracks: making sure AI governance protects human rights and helps justice systems adopt AI in human-centered ways. Both approaches prioritize giving people access to justice rather than leaving them behind as technology advances.

Countries participating in the pilot programs will work with local consultants to develop strategies that fit their unique needs while following people-centered principles. This means real communities will shape how AI gets used in the courts and legal systems that affect their lives.

One sentence captures the entire vision: technology should serve justice for people, not the other way around.