Government pilots AI in crown courts to tackle case backlogs
The UK government is introducing artificial intelligence tools to crown courts to reduce delays for victims waiting for trial. The pilot programme includes AI legal assistants to support lawyers and judges with case management and legal research.
The Ministry of Justice will develop the AI assistants in partnership with UK legal experts and AI developers. The tools will handle routine casework tasks, including research and case analysis, freeing legal professionals to focus on higher-value work.
Judges plan to use a new AI tool to identify cases ready for trial and group similar hearings together. This should help courts allocate resources more efficiently and resolve cases faster.
Sandbox testing required before rollout
The technology will first be tested in a sandbox - an isolated environment designed for safe, controlled testing. This ensures any software meets the standards judges and lawyers require before wider use across UK courts.
Every probation officer in England and Wales will also gain access to Justice Transcribe, an AI tool that automatically records and transcribes conversations with offenders. The tool reduces hours spent manually transferring handwritten notes into digital systems.
Why this matters now
Crown courts in England and Wales are facing unprecedented demand. The number of cases waiting for resolution exceeded 80,000 earlier this year - more than double the 38,108 cases pending in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy announced the plans at London Tech Week, saying the tools aim to cut court backlogs and deliver swifter justice for victims.
Law Society raises conditions
The Law Society of England and Wales said it welcomes the government's commitment to safe and ethical AI use. However, the organisation has conditions.
The pilot must be thoroughly evaluated, and results must be made public, the Law Society said. It also warned that AI cannot replace funding for additional court staff and that robust safeguards are needed to protect the integrity of the justice system.
The organisation has previously expressed reservations about AI implementation in courts. Those concerns were reinforced by a recent case where an AI tool produced a false reference to a non-existent football match, which police used to justify banning fans from attending a match.
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