The UK government will trial AI-powered legal assistants in the Crown Courts as it seeks to reduce the backlog of criminal cases and speed up proceedings.The Justice Department said judges and lawyers will test the AI tools in controlled environments before deploying them more widely. This technology will help analyze case files, identify cases ready for trial, and group similar hearings together to make better use of court time.Justice Secretary David Lammy is expected to announce the initiative at London Tech Week on Tuesday, describing AI as a tool that can help modernize the justice system and deliver faster outcomes for victims, The Independent reported.The move comes as the backlog of cases before the Crown Court in England and Wales exceeds 80,000, more than double the 38,108 cases recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019.The government will also introduce the AI transcription tool to probation officers in England and Wales. The system will automatically record and transcribe conversations with criminals, reducing administrative workloads.“Artificial intelligence has the potential to change the way we live, work and govern for the better,” Lamy said.
He added that technology could help reduce delays in courts while saving thousands of hours of administrative work.These plans have received a cautious welcome from legal bodies.Ian Jeffery, chief executive of the Law Society of England and Wales, said the pilot should be comprehensively evaluated and its findings made public. He stressed that technology must support access to justice but cannot replace investment in courts and staff.Andrew Thomas KC, vice president of the Criminal Bar Association, said AI could handle routine tasks more efficiently, but warned that judges and lawyers must understand its limitations.Criminal cases still require human judgment and careful evaluation of evidence, he said, adding that AI should support legal professionals rather than replace them.