On Thursday, Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas and First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Norman St. George named the 39 advisory committee members who will make up the new panel, which is tasked with identifying the benefits and minimizing the risks of navigating changes associated with artificial intelligence.
"AI's potential for driving change is extensive," Judge St. George said in a statement. "As the New York state courts begin to tap its vast potential in our ongoing efforts to streamline court operations, enhance justice services and more effectively inform the public about the judiciary's important work, we must carefully assess AI's benefits and risks, with the goal to create 'human-centered' AI tools that increase the court system's efficiency and efficacy while also incorporating human creativity and empathy."
The task force will be led by Justice Angela G. Iannacci, an appellate judge who has sat on the Second Department's AI Task Force since January 2023; Stuart Levi, a Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP partner and co-chair of the Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee of the New York City Bar Association's Digital Technologies Task Force; and New York University School of Law professor Jason Schultz, director of the school's Technology and Law Clinic.
Attorneys from BigLaw firms Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP, Proskauer Rose LLP and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP have also been named to the panel, alongside New York State Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Other members include state Supreme Court justices, trial and appellate court judges, judicial staff, state legislators and others.
"I have every confidence in the substantial knowledge of this preeminent committee and in the astute guidance of its three uniquely qualified co-chairs — trailblazers Angela Iannacci, Stuart Levi, and Jason Schultz — to carry out this important charge," Judge Zayas said in comments provided by the courts. "I look forward to the committee's recommendations and the advances to come in the quality and delivery of justice in New York."
Among areas of focus for the new committee are assessing potential new tools for use by judges, attorneys, litigants and court staff; establishing and providing training for judicial officers, attorneys and staff; and identifying best practices to move forward on AI integration.
Members will also study the possible need to update work standards to acknowledge AI tools, identify opportunities where AI use could increase access to justice for litigants, and examine how "questions of authenticity" relating to the use of AI might be handled through guidelines, rules or legislation.
The advisory panel was announced days after the New York State Bar Association released a report containing a set of recommendations to help Empire State attorneys navigate the use of artificial intelligence.
In that report, the bar association said the state's court system should consider integrating AI guidance into its Rules of Professional Conduct. The report also recommended legislators consider addressing AI in potential legal regulations.
"While these are incredibly exciting times, with AI showing tremendous promise for transforming court operations, improving court experiences for all users, and greatly expanding access to justice, we have to move cautiously in considering the adoption of the use of AI tools," Judge Zayas said in statements provided by the courts. "The New York state courts must aspire to the effective, responsible, and impartial use of AI, taking every step possible to guard against bias and the lack of human input, and to ensure that all security and privacy concerns are protected."
A spokesperson for the New York courts did not immediately respond to an interview request Friday.
| Name | Committee role | Job(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Angela G. Iannacci | Co-chair | Associate Justice, Appellate Division, Second Department; Co-chair, Appellate Division, Second Department Task Force on AI; Member, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Strategic Initiative Jurisdiction Team, National Courts and Sciences Institute |
| Stuart Levi | Co-chair | Partner, Skadden; Co-chair, Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee of the New York City Bar Association's Digital Technologies Task Force |
| Jason Schultz | Co-chair | Professor, NYU Law School; Director, NYU Technology and Law Clinic |
| Brian Balmes | Member | Deputy Chief of Staff to Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for New York City Courts Deborah Kaplan |
| Justice Tracy Bannister | Member | Associate Justice, Appellate Division, Fourth Department; Member, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Strategic Initiative Jurisdiction Team, National Courts and Sciences Institute |
| Alvin Bragg | Member | New York County District Attorney |
| Justice Fernando Camacho | Member | Suffolk County Supreme Court Acting Justice |
| Justice Margaret Chan | Member | New York County Supreme Court Justice (Commercial Division) |
| Judge Zainab Chaudhry | Member | Court of Claims Judge; Member, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Strategic Jurisdiction Team, National Courts and Sciences Institute |
| Diana Colon | Member | Chief of Staff to First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Norman St. George |
| Judge Kathie Davidson | Member | New York State Judicial Institute Dean |
| Judge Vito DeStefano | Member | Tenth Judicial District Administrative Judge (Nassau County) |
| Justice Craig Doran | Member | Ontario County Supreme Court Justice; Chair, Unified Court System Court Modernization Action Committee; Member, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Strategic Jurisdiction Team, National Courts and Sciences Institute |
| Justice Patria Frias-Colón | Member | Kings County Supreme Court Justice (Civil Term); Co-chair, UCS Court Modernization Action Committee |
| Kristen Gonzalez | Member | State Senator (District 59); Chair, Internet and Technology Committee |
| Sheng Guo | Member | Director, Office of Court Administration's Division of Court Modernization |
| Maura Grossman | Member | Research Professor, University of Waterloo; Principal, Maura Grossman Law, Buffalo, N.Y.; Member, American Bar Association Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence |
| Paul Gupta | Member | Partner, Rimon Law; Co-chair, New York State Bar Association Technology Committee, Dispute Resolution Section |
| Judge Denise Hartman | Member | Court of Claims Judge; Member, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Strategic Initiative Jurisdiction Team, National Courts and Sciences Institute |
| Jason Hill | Member | Senior Technical Manager, OCA Division of Technology |
| Justice Kenneth Holder | Member | Queens County Supreme Court Justice (Criminal Term); Former Member, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Strategic Initiative Jurisdiction Team, National Courts and Sciences Institute |
| Bruce Jackson | Member | Associate General Counsel and Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships, Microsoft |
| Letitia James | Member | New York State Attorney General |
| Karen Kane | Member | Director of Court Research, OCA Division of Technology and Court Research |
| Sherry Levin Wallach | Member | Deputy Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Westchester County and Former President, New York State Bar Association |
| Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniels | Member | Appellate Division, First Department Associate Justice; Member, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Strategic Initiative Jurisdiction Team, National Courts and Sciences Institute |
| Karl Pflanz | Member | Principal Law Clerk to Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas |
| Justice Stan Pritzker | Member | Appellate Division, Third Department Associate Justice; Member, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Strategic Initiative Jurisdiction Team, National Courts and Sciences Institute |
| Scott Reents | Member | Of counsel, Cravath; Co-chair, UCS Court Modernization Action Committee |
| Judge Richard Rivera | Member | Statewide Coordinating Judge for Family Court Matters |
| David Scher | Member | Partner, Block O'Toole; President, New York State Trial Lawyers Association |
| Lauren Seiter | Member | Supervising Court Attorney to Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Courts Outside New York City James P. Murphy |
| Judge Toko Serita | Member | Statewide Coordinating Judge for Problem-Solving Courts |
| William Silverman | Member | Partner, Proskauer; Co-Chair, UCS Court Modernization Action Committee |
| Christine Sisario | Member | Director, OCA Division of Technology |
| Michelle Smith | Member | Chief of Staff to Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives Edwina G. Richardson |
| Judge Jeffrey Sunshine | Member | Statewide Coordinating Judge for Matrimonial Matters |
| Josh Tucker | Member | Partner, Pillsbury |
| Clyde Vanel | Member | State Assembly Member (District 33); Chair, Subcommittee on Internet and New Technology |
Correction: An earlier version of this article included an incorrect committee name. The error has been corrected.
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