Nguyen Minh Tuan
University of Law, Vietnam National University, Hanoi
Email: tuannm@vnu.edu.vn
ORCHID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0650-986X
Veredas do Direito (Scopus/WoS), Vol. 23 No. 4 (2026): Veredas do Direito, v. 23, n. 4 2026, e234730
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v23.n4.4730
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Abstract:
Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data are rapidly transforming the architecture and operation of contemporary state governance. In this evolving context, the Rule of Law Index developed by the World Justice Project (WJP) has become a central global benchmark for assessing legal integrity and governance quality. Yet the rise of data-driven and algorithmic decision-making systems poses profound challenges to the foundational principles of the rule of law in the digital age. This article critically examines how AI reshapes core rule-of-law dimensions—transparency, accountability, procedural fairness, and the protection of fundamental rights. While AI-enabled governance promises greater efficiency, consistency, and predictive capacity, algorithmic opacity, embedded bias, and diffused responsibility risk undermining legal certainty and democratic legitimacy. To reconcile innovation with legality, the study advances an integrated legal-technological governance framework grounded in human-centred rule-of-law values. It further argues for a methodological recalibration of the Rule of Law Index to capture the structural impact of digital technologies on governance performance. Such an approach offers a normative foundation for institutional reform in Vietnam and other developing jurisdictions navigating accelerated digital transformation.
Keywords: Rule of Law Index; Artificial Intelligence; Big Data Governance; Algorithmic Accountability; Digital Rule of Law.