On 4 March, Prof. Marco Giacalone participated as a speaker in the Research Working Group of the Access to Justice Network (A2JN), an international initiative bringing together court leaders, legal aid organisations, researchers, lawyers, and other professionals committed to improving access to justice.
During the session, Prof. Giacalone presented his research within the framework of the IDEA project (I-tools to Design and Enhance Access to Justice), focusing on the role of digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and predictive analytics in the transformation of civil justice, with a particular emphasis on labour law disputes concerning redundancy dismissals across European and national contexts.
The presentation explored how the increasing availability of data and the use of predictive technologies can be leveraged to improve access to justice, while safeguarding the rule of law and fundamental rights. In this context, the IDEA project aims to develop a digitalised procedure and platform to support dispute resolution, while ensuring alignment with key EU legislative developments, including the digitalisation of judicial cooperation and the EU AI Act.
A key theme of the presentation was the evolving role of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR). ODR platforms were described not merely as tools or spaces, but as new environments shaping dispute resolution processes. At the same time, Prof. Giacalone addressed critical challenges associated with private dispute resolution, including limited transparency, lack of access to precedents, and concerns regarding legal certainty and enforcement.
The IDEA project responds to these challenges through an innovative and interdisciplinary methodology combining legal analysis and advanced text-mining techniques. The project seeks to assess the compatibility of predictive justice with the rule of law in civil law systems, while also identifying best practices through the comparative analysis of more digitally advanced court systems.
Among its core activities, the project includes:
the analysis of selected judicial systems to identify best practices in digitalisation;
the design of pilot digital court solutions in several EU Member States;
and the development of a chatbot-based platform supporting parties in choosing between dispute resolution pathways, such as automated negotiation, online mediation, or court proceedings, particularly in cases involving redundancy dismissals.
These tools are complemented by features such as a structured “digital journey” and data-driven solutions capable of analysing prior case law to identify trends and support decision-making. By reducing information asymmetries between parties, predictive analytics may facilitate earlier settlements and reduce the need for lengthy judicial proceedings.
The project adopts a strongly human-centred and participatory approach, involving both legal professionals—who provide feedback on legal accuracy—and lay users—who contribute to improving usability and accessibility. A human-in-the-loop design ensures continuous validation, transparency, and alignment with ethical and legal standards.
The expected impact of the IDEA project includes improved access to justice, reduced costs, enhanced access to legal information, and increased awareness of the opportunities and limits of AI-driven tools in the justice domain. In the longer term, the project aims to contribute to the development of more efficient, transparent, and inclusive digital justice systems across Europe.
The session concluded with an engaging and interactive discussion among participants, who exchanged views on the opportunities and challenges associated with the integration of AI and digital tools into civil justice systems.