Arizona's Supreme Court is introducing AI avatars to the courthouse. | Credit: Rob Pinney / Stringer/ Getty Images.
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Two new AI-generated avatars have been created to deliver news about Arizona Supreme Court rulings.
The move is designed to simplify the transmission of the court’s rulings.
Criticism is rising around the ethical implications of AI avatars.
The Arizona Supreme Court has launched two new AI-generated avatars to deliver news of court rulings, aiming to provide the public with more insight into the process of contentious decisions.
This is the first time a U.S. court system has used AI to create public-facing characters.
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AI Agents To Simplify Information
Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer told the Associated Press that if the Arizona Court had AI avatars when it ruled to ban nearly all abortions last year, the public would have a better understanding of what actually happened behind the scenes.
“We serve the public better by saying, OK, we’ve issued this decision,” Timmer told AP. “Now, let us help you understand what it is.”
The ruling against abortions led to several protests outside Capitol Hill, which Timmer said was due to the public not having all the facts.
She claimed that if the court had a news release and AI-powered avatar video, the public would be better informed on all of the legal foundations of the decision.
“We got a lot of backlash for it and probably deservedly so, in terms of how can we complain that people don’t understand what we did when we didn’t really do enough to give a simplified version,” she said in January.
The abortion ban was repealed in May 2024, which was then amended in November to allow an expansion of abortions for the Arizona state.
Daniel and Victoria
The two new AI avatars, names Daniel and Victoria, have been built to bring a natural life to the court’s news and to communicate it quickly and efficiently.
The court is using the avatars in videos after every ruling by the high court.
Each video takes a maximum of thirty minutes to create, court spokesperson Alberto Rodriguez said, compared to hours for a human-led video. The videos are accompanied by a news release, and the court’s bench signs off the script.
Rodriguez claims Daniel and Victoria are not meant to come across as real humans, and the court makes it clear they are AI-generated. Rodriguez noted that in the future, the avatars may cover justice rulings, civil cases, and community programs.
Rise of AI Avatars
AI avatars are increasingly being integrated into various sectors, including retail, healthcare, and technology.
In the corporate world, AI avatars are being utilized to aid in employee development.
HubSpot’s senior program manager, Vrnda Boykin, recently launched a chatbot named Aimy to practice handling challenging workplace conversations.
Aimy, developed by CoachHub, was used to simulate interactions with difficult colleagues, providing constructive feedback and helping users manage responses to avoid potential HR disputes.
However, criticism is mounting over the ethical implications of an increase in AI avatars across industries.
Ashly Burch, a leading gaming voice actor, said she felt “worried about this art form” after a video was released in which her character read lines powered by AI.
Burch played Aloy in Sony’s Horizon Zero Dawn, one of the decade’s biggest games and characters.
“I feel worried not because the technology exists. Not even because game companies want to use it. Because of course they do. They always want to use technological advancements,” she said in a TikTok video.
“I just imagine a video like this coming out that does have someone’s performance attached to it,” she added. “That does have someone’s voice or face or movement. And the possibility that if we lose this fight, that person would have no recourse.”
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
