AI Technology Must Be Optimised to Support Legal Aid
The gap in legal understanding remains one of the obstacles for the public in obtaining justice. Research by the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas and the Faculty of Law at the University of Indonesia shows that around 53% of justice seekers are unaware of their right to receive free legal aid. This condition indicates that the problem of access to justice is not always caused by the complexity of the law. The public’s limited knowledge of their legal rights and obligations is also a challenge that needs to be addressed.
This legal knowledge gap is one of the backgrounds for developing various initiatives to expand access to legal information. One such effort involves the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology that can help users understand and navigate legal issues more easily. In recent years, the conversational AI legal research assistant AIlex has been used by more than 3,500 users each month. The technology was developed to assist the legal research process more quickly and efficiently.
Efforts to expand access have been strengthened through the AIlex for Good programme. Through this initiative, 43 legal aid, education, research, and civil society advocacy organisations in Indonesia have gained free access to AIlex. This number will continue to be expanded. The programme provides free access to AIlex for one year to legal aid institutions, educational institutions, research bodies, civil society advocacy organisations, and advocate professional organisations. The technology can be utilised to support research, education, advocacy, and legal aid services.
Hukumonline Chief Executive Officer Arkka Dhiratara stated that technological developments should be able to be utilised by the entire legal ecosystem, not just organisations with large resources. “For 26 years, Hukumonline has believed that access to quality law is the foundation of justice. Therefore, we want to ensure that technological advances, particularly AI, can be utilised by academics, advocates, and civil society organisations that provide inclusive legal services,” Arkka said.
In addition to the AIlex for Good programme, the development of AIlex continues through various new features. One of these is ‘Tanya Putusan’, which helps users search, read, and analyse court decisions more practically. With a more precise search feature, users can obtain summaries of legal considerations and rulings automatically. Information regarding the parties to a case can also be found in a short time. Arkka explained that legal research on court decisions often takes a long time because practitioners must sift through hundreds or even thousands of pages of documents to find relevant information. “Through Tanya Putusan, we want to help legal practitioners conduct research more efficiently. AIlex presents summaries of important information so that users can understand the substance of a decision more quickly, without reducing the depth of legal analysis,” he said.
AIlex is also equipped with an Internal Policy Review feature that helps companies evaluate internal policies to ensure they remain aligned with regulatory developments. This feature allows users to obtain document summaries, analysis of substantive and editorial aspects, and recommendations for improvements automatically. Users can also interact directly with documents through an AI-based conversational interface. According to Arkka, AIlex is built using a legal database that has been developed and curated for more than 20 years. Nevertheless, the role of legal professionals remains central in the analysis and decision-making process. “AI does not replace advocates, judges, academics, or legal counsel. AI is designed to help them work more productively, so they can focus more on analysis, strategy, and decision-making that requires human judgement,” he explained.
One of the AIlex for Good programme partners, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), assesses that the legal technology helps improve the quality of environmental advocacy, community assistance, and research activities. According to Walhi, the use of technology can reduce the time previously spent searching various legal sources. This time can then be redirected to strengthening advocacy work and environmental protection. Walhi National Executive Director Boy Jerry Even Sembiring appreciated the collaboration, stating it could expand public access to legal information and support the struggle for the right to a good and healthy environment. Walhi believes this cooperation also demonstrates that technology can be utilised not only for economic interests but also to strengthen ecological justice and the fulfilment of human rights.