Ethics & Innovation: Can AI Close the Justice Gap?

What if the biggest barrier to justice is not the law itself, but who can reach it?In this episode of Oxford+, part of the Ethics and Innovation miniseries sponsored by Equinox, host Susannah de Jager speaks with Professor Philippa Webb, co-founder of the Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice, about whether artificial intelligence can close the global justice gap rather than widen it. Philippa explains why only a small fraction of people who need a lawyer can access one, how her team is building legal tools for women and girls in Malawi, and why judges in Brazil and Argentina are already teaching themselves to code and building their own agents.The conversation also confronts the risks. Deepfakes are now trivially easy to produce, digital evidence is piling up unused in atrocity prosecutions, and 130 states have suffered cyber attacks. With the World Economic Forum reporting that 87% of organisations see AI-related vulnerabilities as the fastest-growing cyber risk, Philippa makes the case for legal routes to accountability, better training, and closing the perception gap that still keeps AI out of the courtroom.(00:00) - Welcome to Oxford+ (01:55) - A Career Across Academia and Practice (03:33) - Inside the Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice (06:19) - Cyber Attacks, Critical Infrastructure and Accountability (10:00) - The Digital Evidence Gap in Atrocity Crimes (13:22) - Training Judges, Prosecutors and Defence Counsel (16:18) - How Easy It Is to Make a Deepfake (19:32) - The AI Justice Atlas and Courtrooms Worldwide (21:48) - Building a Fair Trial Advisor for Judges (25:48) - Malawi, a Legal Desert and a Testing Ground (33:47) - Protecting Journalists in the First 48 Hours (38:50) - What the Institute Needs Next Philippa Webb: Philippa Webb KC is Professor of Public International Law at the University of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government, a Fellow of Exeter College, and a barrister at Twenty Essex. With Amal Clooney, she is co-founder and Director of the Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice, the first global initiative dedicated to harnessing AI for justice, launched in October 2025 as a partnership between the Blavatnik School and the Clooney Foundation for Justice. She has served as Special Assistant and Legal Officer to the President of the International Court of Justice and as legal adviser to the Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, and she appears regularly before the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights and the UK Supreme Court. She co-wrote The Right to a Fair Trial in International Law with Amal Clooney, was named International Law Junior 2025 by Legal 500, and was elected to the Institut de Droit International in 2025.Connect with Philippa on LinkedInSusannah de Jager: Susannah is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in UK asset management. She has worked closely with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and government officials to shape the conversation around domestic scale-up capital.Connect with Susannah on LinkedIn and Subscribe to the Oxford+ Newsletter for Exclusive ContentOxford+ is hosted by Susannah de Jager and supported by Equinox.Produced and Edited by Story Ninety-Four in Oxford.