This initiative is currently proposed by the Ministry of Justice in the draft Law on Legal Normative Documents.
Article 66 of the draft allows digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to be applied comprehensively, supporting activities from drafting and promulgation to the enforcement of legal normative documents.
A key principle of the draft outlines risk management: "Artificial intelligence is merely a support tool; authorized agencies and individuals bear ultimate responsibility for drafting and promulgating legal normative documents," to prevent over-reliance on technology in important policy decisions.
When applying AI in legal document drafting, the Ministry of Justice specifies that data from newspapers, social networks, and open sources are for reference only. This data must be verified and must not alter the legal value of original data.
Beyond helping to detect conflicts and overlaps in legal regulations, AI is expected to check compliance with current documents and compatibility with international treaties to which Vietnam is a member. It will also suggest clearer, more understandable phrasing for citizens in legal texts.
The necessity for AI stems from the immense workload. According to a summary report, in a short period from 1/4/2025, ministries and agencies reviewed over 17,000 documents, including: 99 draft laws and resolutions, two ordinances, 796 decrees, 123 Prime Minister's decisions, and 77 government resolutions.
Ministries and ministerial-level agencies issued 1,544 circulars and 31 joint circulars.
Localities issued nearly 6,000 decisions from provincial People's Councils and People's Committees. District and commune levels issued nearly 1,600 documents and nearly 2,400 other legal documents under expedited procedures to address state apparatus restructuring issues.
Given this massive volume of documents, traditional manual methods have revealed limitations in detecting conflicts and overlaps. The Ministry of Justice believes AI will play a pivotal role in this work in the future.
"Applying artificial intelligence in legal drafting and enforcement" is one of several projects being led by the Ministry of Justice for development and submission in 2026.
The draft will be submitted to the National Assembly Standing Committee for feedback at its September session, then to the National Assembly in October, and will take effect from 1/3/2027.
Hai Thu
