Queen鈥檚 launches AI-enhanced tools for those affected by pandemic layoffs
May 13, 2020
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![MyOpenCourt, a project of the Conflict Analytics Lab at the Faculty of Law and Smith School of Business,](/gazette/sites/gazettewww/files/assets/WEB%20Law%20AI.jpg)
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, millions of Canadians are out of work and facing uncertainty about returning. These circumstances can put workers, particularly those in 鈥榞ig economy鈥 jobs, in situations where their legal rights are unclear.
, a project of the at Queen鈥檚 University鈥檚 and , will now help these workers understand their rights 鈥 and options.
鈥淢ost Canadian workers cannot afford an employment lawyer, or live in areas with few skilled employment law experts,鈥 says Samuel Dahan, Director of the Conflict Analytics Lab and a professor in the Faculty of Law with a cross-appointment to Smith. 鈥淪ince COVID-19鈥檚 arrival in Canada, we have seen nearly 2 million jobs lost with terminations and layoffs across many different sectors, and decided to launch our tools to help Canadians who have lost work.鈥
MyOpenCourt currently features two free and simple-to-use web-based tools that harness artificial intelligence and data science technologies. Both are available at the project site at .
The 鈥淎m I an employee or contractor?鈥 application can determine the likelihood that a work arrangement is an employment relationship or that of a contractor through a fast, anonymous questionnaire.
Workers who believe they have been wrongfully dismissed can use the 鈥淗ow much severance am I entitled to?鈥 tool to calculate reasonable notice for dismissal.
鈥淭hese tools are as valuable for employers as they are for workers,鈥 Professor Dahan says. 鈥淣avigating employer-contractor relationships is challenging, and severance is difficult to calculate. We hope to provide both workers and employers with ways to avoid pitfalls and find equitable solutions to the challenges created by the pandemic.鈥
Powerful AI technology lies behind both tools. Working from thousands of Canadian employment law cases, MyOpenCourt can make predictions that can offer guidance to workers in these uncertain situations. While these applications cannot take the place of a lawyer, they can help users understand if they have a case before contacting one.
Should a user discover they have a case, MyOpenCourt will automatically connect the user to a partner law firm at no cost.
The MyOpenCourt tools have been developed by students and researchers at Queen鈥檚 Law, the , , and partners like McGill University and institutions based in the U.S. and Europe. Professor Maxime Cohen of McGill and Professor Jonathan Touboul of Brandeis University provided data science expertise, helping to translate the case data into predictions.
鈥淲e are thrilled that the Conflict Analytics Lab has been able to launch this platform, at a time when these tools will be able to help many Canadians,鈥 says Yuri Levin, Executive Director of the Analytics and AI ecosystem at Smith and an instrumental player in the creation of the Conflict Analytics Lab.
MyOpenCourt reasonable notice calculator cannot currently be used to generate case outcomes for Qu茅bec-based users.
To learn more about the work of the Conflict Analytics Lab, visit .
成人大片 Conflict Analytics Lab
The Conflict Analytics Lab (CAL) strives to build a fairer future by improving access to justice.
We are experts in applying artificial intelligence to help resolve conflicts in a transparent, consistent, and innovative manner all over the world.
Housed at Queen鈥檚 University, the CAL combines academics, technology experts, and the legal industry to revolutionize the way we approach conflicts and better serve those who cannot afford traditional justice.