AI and the Coroners Court of Victoria: Concerns and Criticisms From Mob
Lindsay McCabe, Michelle Toy, Alison Whittaker · Journal of global indigeneity. · 2026
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) within Australian legal institutions has accelerated rapidly, shifting from a speculative concern to an operational reality. In 2024, the Coroners Court of Victoria implemented a bespoke AI system ostensibly intended to reduce staff exposure to distressing material and improve efficiency. This article critically examines the use of generative and agentic AI within the coronial jurisdiction, with particular attention to its implications for First Nations peoples, families, and communities. Drawing on concepts of technological colonialism, cultural flattening, Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property, human dignity, and Indigenous data sovereignty, it is argued that AI systems are not neutral tools, and may actually entrench existing harms within a jurisdiction already subject to sustained scrutiny. The article highlights risks associated with opaque decision-making, consent, participation, and the environmental impacts on Country. Any use of AI in coronial processes must be subject to rigorous oversight, grounded in UNDRIP and data sovereignty obligations, and led by First Nations governance to avoid compounding injustice at the intersection of death, law, and technology.