The Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank, announced Monday that it had struck a new partnership with the Rand Corp. to launch a national task force working to develop standards and recommendations for the integration and oversight of artificial intelligence in the criminal justice system.

The task force, made up of members led by former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, will focus its work on four areas of the criminal justice system: law enforcement, courts, corrections and community organizations.

Over the next 18 months, the group will develop consensus principles on the use of AI, translate the principles into specific operational standards and publish research for use by policymakers, agencies and individuals in the field.

The Council on Criminal Justice is a nonpartisan think tank focused on criminal justice policy. The Rand Corp. is a nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute and public sector consulting firm.

"Artificial intelligence is developing at breakneck speed, delivering technological advancements unlike any we have seen before, and presenting both significant opportunities and formidable challenges for the criminal justice system," Hecht said in the announcement Monday. "This task force will meet the urgent need for credible guidance to help policymakers and practitioners navigate a complex and rapidly evolving landscape in ways that maximize benefits, minimize harms and improve justice."

The task force's work will be supported by Jesse Rothman, a senior fellow at the Council of Criminal Justice, as well as researchers at Rand, who will conduct original research.

"AI brings powerful tools to affect public safety and efficiency in the criminal justice system," said Rand's president and chief executive, Jason Matheny. "Rand's strength is in objective research and rigorous analysis — and that's how we'll contribute most, by ensuring that policymakers at all levels have clear, informed guidance."

The task force is made up of 15 members, including an assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, an assistant chief at the Miami Police Department, the former vice president of civil rights at Meta, the director of the Idaho Department of Correction, the director of policy with the Innocence Project and a research scientist at Google DeepMind.

Organizations supporting the task force include the Heising-Simons Foundation, the Just Trust, Microsoft, the Southern Co. Foundation and the Tow Foundation. Other backers include the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, along with other general operating contributors to the Council on Criminal Justice.

"AI technologies will inevitably become — and in many cases, already are — embedded in myriad criminal justice agencies and processes, and that's happening too often haphazardly and without caution or clear goals," council president and chief executive Adam Gelb said in the announcement Monday. "This task force brings together people with the experience and passion needed to help ensure AI integration proceeds in a careful, consistent and beneficial way."

--Editing by Karin Roberts.