If you have never read the Maltese constitution, it is likely because you are afraid you will not understand it. Or it could bore you.
That could change, however, after a young Maltese engineer built and launched a new website that aims to make the nation’s supreme legal document accessible to everyone.
Alex Portelli created constitutionofmalta.com in his free time this summer by taking the complex document and simplifying it into plain language for five-, 10-, 15-year-olds and adult citizens with the help of artificial intelligence.
Portelli told Times of Malta the project was driven by his belief that every citizen should be able to understand the core principles of their state, noting that in contrast to countries like the US, many in Malta are not very familiar with the constitution.
So, for instance, in the original constitution document, Article 37, on the protection of property, reads: “No property of any description shall be compulsorily taken possession of, and no interest in or right over property of any description shall be compulsorily acquired, except where provision is made by a law applicable to that taking of possession or acquisition – (a) for the payment of adequate compensation; and (b) for the purpose of a public interest.”
On Portelli’s website, this complex sentence is broken down into a clear statement: “The government cannot take your property or any rights you have over it unless a law says they must pay you a fair price for it and that it’s for a reason that benefits the public.”
How he used AI
Portelli said he used AI to handle the initial simplification – to convert the dense, legal terminology of the original text into a more “conversational tone,” which served as a foundational draft.
“AI provided a significant starting point,” Portelli told Times of Malta.
“However, the text was meticulously reviewed, fact-checked, and reorganised to ensure the simplified version was both accurate and logically structured.”
This manual, human effort was the most critical phase of the work, he said, guaranteeing that the simplified text maintained the integrity and true meaning of the original law.
He also said the website’s clean, modern design and open-source nature are central to its mission. By making the code publicly available, Portelli wants the entire process to be transparent and invites others to contribute to the project.