'Law & Order' shows tackle real-world controversies in new-season premieres

Law & Order and its spinoff, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, are set to tackle two separate but real-world controversies in their new season's premiere episodes.

For Law & Order, its first episode of season 26 will investigate a murder involving artificial intelligence.

The description of the episode read, “A software engineer’s murder sends Riley (Reid Scott) and Walker (David Ajala) into the rapidly evolving world of A.I."

"As Baxter pursues justice in a groundbreaking case, he’s confronted with a technology advancing faster than the laws designed to govern it.”

Rick Eid, who served as showrunner, said, “We try to capture the cultural zeitgeist, and artificial intelligence is clearly top of mind these days."

“What’s shocking about this technology is that it’s moving so quickly. This episode went from something that felt almost like science fiction to something that feels totally plausible — in only a few months.”

The Law & Order: SVU first episode of season 28 will focus on a sexual assault on a woman who was intoxicated.