The Supreme Judiciary Council in Doha has recently launched a new service called the “Virtual Employee” via WhatsApp for litigants. This service is part of the council’s efforts to enhance and develop a comprehensive digital judicial system. The Virtual Employee service allows litigants to file memoranda electronically through the platform, with the process being completed by robotic technology and artificial intelligence. The aim of this service is to simplify the process of submitting memoranda to the relevant department through electronic channels at any time.
The pilot application of the Virtual Employee service has been initiated in the Civil Court, the Court of Appeal, and Cassation, as well as the Family Court. A number of litigants have tried this new service and successfully filed and registered their memoranda through WhatsApp. This service adds to other electronic channels provided by the Council to streamline procedures for litigants. Litigants can file memoranda for an existing lawsuit at any stage, whether it be during the litigation process or before session dates.
The Virtual Employee service is highly secure, and the choice to use WhatsApp as the platform for this service was made due to its widespread usage and simplicity. This platform is ideal for providing simple and frequent judicial services that do not require extensive data or attachments from litigants. The council has also conducted a trial run of the new service with selected law firms and users in order to test and improve it before officially launching it to all users during the fourth quarter of the year.
In addition to the Virtual Employee service, the Supreme Judiciary Council is working on incorporating artificial intelligence into its digital services. One successful example of this is the “Court Mzadat” application, which simplifies the auction process by allowing virtual employees to prepare reports and minutes related to auctions. This not only expedites the sale process after an auction, but also improves the quality of procedures and saves time and effort for administrative and judicial staff.
The council’s use of artificial intelligence extends beyond the Virtual Employee service, with plans to employ it for judicial staff in preparing comparisons with judicial precedents, presenting laws and legal materials relevant to the case at hand, and preparing legal summaries. This use of technology aims to support decision-making processes, enhance the quality of judicial work, and ultimately develop the judicial system in order to achieve prompt justice. The Supreme Judiciary Council is committed to leveraging technology to advance the efficiency and effectiveness of the judicial system in Doha.
