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UNESCO Guidelines for the use of AI systems in courts and tribunals
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
last revised 2025-12-03last verified 2026-09-042 versionscountry page →
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Published 3 December 2025 after a global consultation, the Guidelines are UNESCO's ethical and operational framework for AI in judicial systems. Fifteen principles in five groups - human rights and equality; safety, security and accuracy; explainability, transparency and auditability; awareness and accountability; human-centred decision-making - are paired with recommendations for judicial organisations and individual judges.
- Applies to
- judges, court-staff
- Effective
- 03 Dec 2025
- Current version
- Final · 03 Dec 2025
- Last verified
- 04 Sept 2026
- Official text
- unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000396582
What the document requires
- AI is an assistive, not substitutive, tool; it shall not replace judicial decision-making (principles 1.13-1.15).
- Judges should verify AI-generated information independently, avoid over-reliance and disclose when AI tools influenced a decision.
- Judicial organisations should set procurement standards with risk and rights-impact review, run training and monitor systems across their lifecycle, including the ability to disable them.
- Explainability: a decision that cannot be understood cannot be used to affect someone's rights.
Version history
| Version | Date | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finalcurrent | 2025-12-03 | Published 3 December 2025; launched at the Athens Roundtable on AI and the Rule of Law, London, 4 December 2025. | official |
| Draft for consultation | 2024-09-01 | First version recorded. | official |
Sources
Cite this record
SafeLegalAI Legal AI Regulation Tracker, "UNESCO Guidelines for the use of AI systems in courts and tribunals" (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Final, 2025-12-03), safelegalai.com/regulation/international/int-unesco-guidelines-ai-courts-tribunals (accessed 2026-09-04). Data: CC BY 4.0.
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