The government has set out its vision to embed artificial intelligence across the justice system, with pilots already underway for AI-powered court transcription and a ‘knowledge retrieval assistant’ capable of searching hundreds of documents in seconds.
The recently published AI Action Plan for Justice outlines three strategic priorities:
- Integrating Ai into the justice system
- Establishing a dedicated Justice AI Unit
- Investing in staff skills and partnerships with legal service providers and regulators to support AI-driven innovation
Some pilots have shown promising signs early in the Immigration and Asylum Chambers, as HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has trialled AI transcription for hearings and oral judgements.
The technology is designed to speed up the manual transcription process, provide transcripts where none currently exist, and improve pubic access to proceedings. Officials say early results are encouraging, with further rollout dependent on funding.
Another pilot focused on a generative AI ‘knowledge retrieval assistant’ that answers staff queries by interrogating more than 300 unstructured documents before producing a concise summary with a source citation. Evaluation found the tool helped court staff access and digest information more quickly, ultimately accelerating case administration. Following the pilot’s success, options to scale the system are now being explored.
Minister Signals Ambition
In a foreword to the plan, Lord Timpson, the Ministry of Justice’s lead minister for AI, said he was proud to be part of a department “fundamentally rethinking its use of technology” to improve public outcomes and contribute to economic growth. He pledged to champion the MoJ’s ambition to lead responsible and impactful AI adoption across government.
Law Society Welcomes Opportunities, Warn of Risks
The Law Society has welcomed the plan, with chief executive Ian Jeffrey saying it “highlights the opportunities AI offers to strengthen the legal system” while warning that ethical safeguards must be in place
He reiterated the Society’s call for a free AI-powered tool to help people understand legal issues and identify next steps, a service he likened to the NHS 11 online platform, guiding users through matters such as divorce, housing, employment, and wills.
“AI has an important role to play in justice and the legal sector,” Jeffrey said.
“It offers new opportunities that we must harness, but also challenges that we must bravely address.”
