The Legal Ethics and Practical Implications of Using AI-Assisted Decision-Making in Environmental Law

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly become a very important issue in law and decision-making. The advent of this new technology had led to increasing usages in legal representation and, perhaps more controversially, legal decision-making. This chapter examines some of the benefits and potential pitfalls of using AI in legal decision-making in environmental law. Environmental decision-making is critical to mitigating the impact of climate change as well as many other factors that are crucial to development of healthy life and eco-systems while advancing sustainable development. AI can revolutionize environmental law and decision-making by analysing large datasets to track pollution, predict climate impacts, and assess compliance with regulations. It can provide real-time insights, helping identify environmental violations and improve enforcement. and simulate policy outcomes, aiding lawmakers in crafting effective, sustainable legislation. AI can support informed, data-driven decisions to better address environmental challenges. However, it is important to be aware of potential issues and problems in utilizing AI in aiding decision-making, particularly within the context of environmental law. Some of the issues identified in this chapter include fairness and bias concerns, opaque decision-making, and transparency issues. This chapter also examines a case study of AI-assisted decision-making in environmental law.