AVA and the Courts: What Can We Learn from Alaska’s Bold Experiment with Artificial Intelligence?

Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast EpisodeFebruary 17th, 2026Alaska has quietly become a brave path-finder incourt-based artificial intelligence. Last month, the state released the Alaska Virtual Assistant (AVA), an AI chatbot designed to help court users navigate the probate court system. The path to launch, however, was anything but smooth.Delays piled up, expectations collided with reality, and media coverage has been more skeptical than supportive. So, what actually happened behind the scenes?This month, we sit down with Alaska’s court leaders to explore their bold new initiative, AVA, an innovative tool designed to help court users navigate the complexities of probate. We look beyond the headlines to examine what Alaskalearned from launching AI in the courts, the challenges they encountered, and the lessons every court should consider before embarking on a similar journey. Today’s Moderator  Roger Rand, Technology Manager, Multnomah County Circuit Court, Portland, Oregon, Current Vice President, National Association for Court Management. Today’s Panel Jeannie Sato, Director of Access to Justice Services, Alaska State Court System,Aubrie Souza, Principal Court Management Consultant, National Center for State Courts,Tom Martin, Founder and CEO of the legal technology & artificial intelligence firm LawDroid  Access the episode by going to the NACM website podcast link: https://www.nacmnet.org/podcastsBecome part of the Conversation. Submit your comments and questions to: [email protected]