We created an innovative virtual assistant for FPS Justice to highlight the potential of AI for optimizing administration and reducing manual tasks.
A while ago, RoboRana Group started a partnership with Microsoft and other stakeholders for FPS Justice (Dutch: FOD Justitie), Belgium's Federal Public Service of Justice. Their courts and judges are overwhelmed with requests, and it's often difficult to prepare for cases since relevant information is spread across various data sources. Our partnership tried to find ways to reduce FPS Justice's workload together, and as part of this overarching project's innovation track, we created a virtual assistant as a Proof of Concept (POC).
We first got the idea for a smart assistant during an internal AI hackathon. Four of our experts working at FPS Justice wanted to create an AI assistant inspired by the larger project, and we used the resulting presentation as the main inspiration for our Proof of Concept. Once we kicked off the project, we could rely on the workshops we facilitated earlier as part of the larger case management system, where we identified the needs and challenges of FPS Justice.
One of the most significant advantages of the assistant is its integration capabilities. FPS Justice has many different data sources that must be considered when preparing hearings. Every court has its own database system and secondary sources in at least one of Belgium's three official languages.
By combining Azure OpenAI with Azure AI Search, the virtual assistant will be able to search through all sources, no matter the language. Thanks to the combination of Azure OpenAI's security and our own additional stringent security standards, all this highly confidential data stays within FPS Justice's secured environment.
Besides development and implementation, we also took care of the change management aspect of this project. We noticed that the mention of artificial intelligence and robots caused some judges to worry about its accuracy and the implications. We helped to shift their mindset by comparing the assistant to an intern. They prepare cases, research relevant precedents and bundle this information, but they do not decide on cases.
Once we made clear that their ‘digital intern’ would take away a lot of the preparatory work but leave the decisions up to them, the judges were quickly convinced. Our main goal with this virtual assistant was to show the potential of innovative technologies and inspire FPS Justice about a smarter, more connected and better integrated future, and it's safe to say that we accomplished this goal!
"We’re here to challenge your status quo."
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