SFU prof launches legal-AI collaboration with Caseway to improve justice (www.sfu.ca)

Simon Fraser University (SFU) professor Angel Chang has initiated a collaboration with Vancouver-based startup Caseway AI to explore the potential of making over 100 million court decisions fully searchable for artificial intelligence systems. This research aims to determine if increased access to primary legal sources can improve decision-making outcomes for self-represented and marginalized individuals navigating the justice system. Funded by Mitacs, the project emphasizes rigorous evaluation to understand whether searchable legal precedents enhance comprehension and confidence in early legal decision-making. The collaboration seeks to address the current limitations of general-purpose AI tools, which often rely on secondary sources and can lead to inaccuracies in legal information. By indexing court decisions in machine-readable formats, Caseway aims to enable AI systems to reference official judicial texts, thereby reducing the risk of “hallucinations” in responses involving legal advice. This initiative not only has the potential to improve access to justice but also sets a precedent for how legal information should be published and utilized by AI systems, fostering transparency and accountability in legal technology. If successful, it may redefine the information landscape for those without legal representation, ultimately enhancing their understanding and outcomes in legal contexts.