Judges in the UK Will Get AI Assistants to Prepare Criminal Cases to Reduce Backlogs

The UK Ministry of Justice will for the first time trial the use of artificial intelligence to assist judges in preparing criminal cases in the Crown Court, writes the Telegraph.

As part of a pilot project, AI will be used to research and analyze cases for judges and lawyers, as well as to identify cases ready for court hearings.

Officials stated that such systems will perform the functions of "digital" legal assistants. Their tasks will include preparing legal documents, summarizing large volumes of documents, researching legal precedents, and case administration.

The government believes this could save thousands of hours of trial preparation and speed up case processing, as ministers aim to reduce record court backlogs and decrease delays for victims.

No Authority to Make Decisions

The Ministry of Justice emphasized that AI assistants will undergo testing in "highly controlled" conditions before wider implementation in Crown Courts and will have no role in making judicial decisions.

According to a Forbes business study, the judicial profession is among the top five professions least at risk of being replaced by artificial intelligence. This list also includes emergency and general practice surgeons, anesthesiologists, and commercial pilots.

At the same time, the innovation raises concerns about possible errors created by AI entering court decisions, as well as the use of technology as a cheaper alternative to proper funding of the judicial system.

Deputy Chair of the Criminal Bar Association Andrew Thomas said: "As all lawyers know, the devil is always in the details, and AI tools should not be used without proper safeguards and oversight.

There are many examples where lawyers and judges in both civil and criminal cases have found themselves in difficult situations due to the use of AI-prepared documents without verifying the accuracy of their content.

No one claims that justice can be administered by a computer. Criminal justice requires clear rules for the safe use of new technologies as an auxiliary tool for judges and qualified lawyers, not as their replacement."

Presentation at London Tech Week

The launch of AI assistants for criminal law will be presented by UK Justice Minister David Lammy during London Tech Week.

This follows the Ministry of Justice providing all probation service workers with the Justice Transcribe tool — an AI system that automatically records and transcribes conversations with offenders.

"Artificial intelligence has the potential to positively change how we live, work, and govern," said David Lammy, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister.

"This positive impact is already visible in our justice system — thousands of days of administrative work have been saved for probation workers, and new tools are expected to help reduce court backlogs and deliver faster justice for victims."

AI assistants are expected to help judges and lawyers summarize large volumes of case materials, prepare correspondence, and find legal precedents that may be important for case consideration. They will also assist in monitoring deadlines, scheduling meetings, and concealing confidential information to protect privacy.

Judges are already planning to use the new AI tool to identify cases ready for trial and to group similar hearings for expedited consideration in specialized courts.

Artificial intelligence is already used in UK civil courts. In particular, immigration judges use it to prepare draft decisions. They use AI tools to create draft court rulings and have official permission to consult chatbots to verify their conclusions.

Judges have undergone training to use a limited version of Microsoft's Copilot chatbot to prepare for hearings and write decisions.

Additionally, they are testing a special version of Justice Transcribe for transcribing case notes and administrative support. According to government estimates, the use of this system by probation workers will free up time equivalent to 18,750 calendar days of work annually.

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