Artificial intelligence and formalisms for legal evidence: an introduction

Abstract

Whereas the application of artificial intelligence to law has been an active field of investigation for nearly three decades, legal evidence almost hasn't featured among such applications. A critical mass of research in this narrower field has only come into acknowledged existence after coordination initiatives (journal special issues as well as workshops) were undertaken for the very purpose of either bootstrapping the emergence of this subarea within “AI & Law,” or then to wean the extant debate among legal theorists from its exclusive focus on probabilities in law. In this introductory article to the present special issue, we take a walk through various foci for debate which are relevant for a better appreciation of the state of the art. © 2004 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.