“Artificial Justice” film from Spain explores AI: Iberseries

Would you rather be judged in court by a human or by an artificial intelligence? That was a central question that took center stage at the Iberseries & Platino Industria conference and market in Madrid on Wednesday evening.
Platino Educa, the event’s educational platform, showed the new film Artificial justice (Artificial justice) from Spain and Portugal. Written and directed by Simón Casal, the film stars Verónica Echegui, Tamar Novas, Alba Galocha and Alberto Ammann.

“In the near future, the government wants to replace judges with artificial intelligence software and promises to effectively automate and depoliticize the justice system,” it said in a summary. “Carmen Costa, a respected judge, was invited to judge this new trial. However, when the software’s inventor is found dead, she realizes that her life is in danger and that she must fight against the powerful interests at play in the highest echelons of the state.”

The audience responded very positively to the film, judging by the applause that followed the screening.

Then it was time for producer Mariela Besuievsky, actor Ammann, Juan Fernandez Tamames, Secretary of State in Telefonica’s Criminal Compliance Committee, and Spanish Supreme Court Justice Antonio del Moral to answer questions and reflect on the film’s impact on the current debate about the Discuss the role of AI.

Casal started the project about five years ago because he was interested in the impact of big data and ChatGPT, Besuievsky told the audience. “He decided to focus on justice for the film,” which was also helped by the fact that his wife is a judge, she said, according to an English translation of all panelists’ Spanish comments delivered over headphones at the event.

The backstory of Carmen and her living situation presented in the film was key to exploring the debate between humanity and technology. “With Carmen we wanted to make it more human and personal,” the producer explained. “It’s the human story of Carmen,” Amann added.

Besuievsky shared that at one stage in the film’s development, she asked the creative team whether they should also use AI in the film to advance the story’s key theme and conflict. The reaction was clear. “There was a huge uprising,” he said.

In an interesting part of the film’s plot, a character reveals that some of the key people behind the development of AI tools may be receiving preferential treatment from them instead of the promised objective decision-making. “Will we have VIP codes?” Besuievsky summarized a possible future question related to AI. “That’s scary.”

When discussing the moral issue of artificial justice, del Moral told the panel that while technology is more accurate, it is not always fair in a human sense. “Human justice is not perfect,” he said. “Algorithmic justice is a temptation, but it would cause us to lose…humanity.”

He added that he sometimes felt reminded of it Blade RunnerTamames argued that the main focus for governments and industries will be on developing safeguards and guidelines for the use of AI.

Ammann expressed some concerns, wondering aloud whether the main difference between real life and the film might be that the public is informed and can vote on AI in the film.

The actor also said that some of the futuristic-looking technology themes explored in films could become reality sooner than expected. “In 2001: A Space Odyssey“I saw my first video call,” Ammann shared, “and I thought it would never happen. We now have it on all our cell phones.”

In previous sessions on the second day of the fourth Iberseries, executives including Anonymous Content and Fremantle discussed their TV strategy and growing film business.