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When algorithms testify: artificial intelligence-driven DNA analysis, evidentiary standards, and criminal justice
Dragan Primorac, Damir Primorac, Andrej Bozhinovski1
1Andrej Bozhinovski, Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, Ćirilometodska ul. 4, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia, andrej.bozhin@gmail.com.
Croatian Medical Journal
|June 13, 2026
Summary
Artificial intelligence (AI) in forensic DNA analysis aids complex profile interpretation but raises legal and ethical questions. Ensuring AI enhances accuracy and fairness requires transparent, validated, and ethically governed frameworks for criminal justice.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Science
- Criminal Justice
- Artificial Intelligence
Background:
- Forensic DNA analysis is crucial in criminal justice for conviction and exoneration.
- DNA evidence faces challenges like interpretive errors, methodological limits, and cognitive bias, leading to wrongful convictions.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) methods, particularly probabilistic genotyping, are increasingly used for complex DNA samples.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the implications of AI-based DNA interpretation for criminal justice.
- To address concerns regarding evidentiary reliability, due process, and institutional accountability.
- To explore emerging policy responses in the US and Europe concerning AI in forensic DNA analysis.
Main Methods:
- Review of AI applications in forensic DNA analysis, focusing on probabilistic genotyping.
- Analysis of legal and ethical concerns associated with AI-driven forensic interpretation.
- Drawing parallels with clinical genomics and documented forensic AI applications.
Main Results:
- AI can support the interpretation of complex DNA samples (mixed, low-template, degraded).
- AI utilization in forensic analysis presents legal and ethical challenges, including admissibility as evidence.
- Existing AI applications highlight potential benefits but also risks if not properly governed.
Conclusions:
- AI can enhance forensic accuracy and fairness in criminal justice.
- Integration of AI requires transparent, validated, and ethically governed frameworks.
- Respect for fundamental legal protections is paramount for the responsible use of AI in DNA interpretation.
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