From AI avatars to virtual reality crime scenes, courts are grappling with AI in the justice system

Stacey Wales gripped the lectern, choking back tears as she asked the judge to give the man who shot and killed her brother the maximum possible sentence for manslaughter. What appeared next stunned those in the Phoenix courtroom last week: An AI-generated video with a likeness of her brother, Christopher Pelkey, told the shooter he was forgiven.

The judge said he loved and appreciated the video, then sentenced the shooter to 10.5 years in prison – the maximum sentence and more than what prosecutors sought. Within hours of the hearing on May 1, the…