Last Updated on May 18, 2025, 2:00 PM AST by Anthony Morris
Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Garth Wilkin announced the launch of a new artificial intelligence (AI) plan to address court backlogs, during a high level workshop organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European Union in Barbados.
The launch of this new plan will help St Kitts and Nevis in its vision of becoming a digital justice reform leader in the Caribbean region. Attorney General Wilkin also addressed the role of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation in criminal justice – a collaborative effort of the UNDP PACE Justice Project and EL PAcCTO 2.0.
He said that the twin island nation is using AI to enhance the efficiency of justice delivery and increase public access to legal knowledge. Garth Wilkin further added that AI has the potential to assist Caribbean States in clearing backlogs in their criminal and civil justice systems.
This can be achieved by using AI-based Early Neutral Evaluation, Sentencing Indications and Resolution of Minimal Value Disputes.
The workshop convened legal, policy, and tech professionals from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe to discuss how emerging technologies can create more effective and accessible justice systems.
VoiceIt – Customized Legal AI Assistant
VoiceIt, the first legal AI assistant to be used by a government in the Caribbean, took center stage during his talk. Notably, the locally created platform, providing free legal consultation on WhatsApp and web chat, has been customized specifically for St Kitts and Nevis.
Furthermore, the system’s statistics indicated that the AI conducted over 2,000 public interactions within three months. Attorney General Wilkin said, “Embracing innovation and implementing new approaches are not merely academic or fanciful ideas, if done right they can result in real change.”
The Attorney General highlighted that VoiceIt is a nationally owned asset that supports public understanding of the legal process and is part of a justice reform agenda. Further, it operates under a digital transformation partnership with CAJS to make records management more contemporary, automate legal documents, and develop institutional capacity.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
