Justice Secretary David Lammy wants to see more AI-assisted magistrates as he doubles down on his plans to reduce the number of jury trials.
Speaking from a Microsoft AI event in London, Mr Lammy, who is also the deputy prime minister, confirmed members of the judiciary had been using the tools, and he now wanted “to see more AI”.
Mr Lammy said as part of the initiative, the government would ramp up investment in its “justice AI” project.
Politics latest: MPs debating release of Andrew trade envoy files
He also reiterated his commitment to reducing the number of jury trials being held in England and Wales in a bid to reduce the courts backlog, as well as his recent announcement committing to increase the number of court sitting days.
It comes following Sky News uncovering that at least 21 police forces have continued using Microsoft’s Copilot tool, despite hallucinations contributing to the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a game against Aston Villa – something Mr Lammy previously criticised.
Mr Lammy said trials in the probation system with AI had helped record meetings between offenders and officers, saving 25,000 hours of time by helping transcribe more than 150,000 meetings.
“We’re testing transcription in the courts and tribunals based on the same technology,” Mr Lammy said.
“And in the immigration and asylum chamber, some judges are using it to help formulate notes and write remarks.
“We’re also piloting AI for legal advisers and district judges in the magistrates’ courts to speed up case progression by transcribing material, and summarising their judgments.
“I want to see more AI initiatives like this, so we’re going to invest more in our in-house justice AI unit.”
Read more:
Why you shouldn’t use an AI generated password
Tech firms face UK block over abusive images
Richard Atkinson, a solicitor and former head of the Law Society, said: “We support modernising the justice system and adopting new technology, provided it enhances…
