David Lammy to roll out 'AI legal assistants' to tackle rising case backlog

David Lammy is set to introduce legal assistants powered by artificial intelligence to the courts in an attempt to tackle the backlog of cases.The Justice Secretary will announce the scheme at London Tech Week on Tuesday, making the case that AI will drive criminal justice system modernisation.Ministers have said the AI tool, to be rolled out to Crown Courts across the country, will help get legal cases moving faster, and first be trialled in controlled environments before a wider roll out, the Ministry of Justice said.Judges will be supplied with their own AI tool for finding trial-ready cases and group similar hearings together in order to save court time. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Mr Lammy said: Artificial intelligence has the power to transform how we live, work, and govern for the better.This impact for good can be seen in our justice system - with thousands of days of admin work saved for our probation staff, and the advent of new tools which aim to cut court backlogs and deliver swifter justice for victims.Probation officers will be given access to an AI tool which automatically records and transcribes conversations with offenders, the Deputy Prime Minister is also set to announce.But concerns have been raised about the dangers of ramping up the use of AI.A review into the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans revealed police had partly justified the decision based on an AI hallucination generated by Microsoft Copilot.The Law Society has called on the Government to make the outcome of any AI assisted trial to be public.The Law Society's chief executive Ian Jeffery said the organisation welcomed the Ministry of Justice acknowledging the importance of ensuring legal and ethical use of new AI tools, adding the pilot scheme must be thoroughly evaluated.He said: The outcomes of these evaluations, along with the impact of AI on the justice system, should be made public.POLITICS IN THE AI ERA - READ MORE:Trump administration warns Keir Starmer against imposing social media ban on millions of BritonsNigel Farage addresses 'bizarre AI videos' as pressure mounts on Elon Musk over deepfakesKeir Starmer vows war on social media giants unless they impose strict 'world-first' restrictionsWhile new technology should enhance access to justice, it cannot replace vital funding and additional court staff.Robust safeguards are needed to protect us all and preserve the integrity of the justice system.The Crown Court waitlist hit a record high of more than 80,000 cases earlier this year, more than double the number in 2019 (38,108), before the COVID-19 pandemic.Figures obtained through freedom of information laws showed 2,600 crown court trials in England and Wales had not been listed until at least 2028, and 29 not set to be heard until 2030.Andrew Thomas KC, vice chair of the Criminal Bar Association, welcomed the use of AI tools in the criminal justice system, and said many routine tasks can be done quicker and more efficiently through the use of AI tools.But he warned that there were obvious concerns, stressing that judges, barristers, and investigators needed to be instructed on the safe use of AI.He added: In criminal law, AI is never going to replace the need for skilled criminal barristers and solicitors as lawyers to review a case.Criminal law is all about human interactions.AI tools lack the social and emotional understanding reliably to identify the significance of every piece of evidence.As all lawyers know, the devil is always in the detail, and AI tools should not be used without checks and balances.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter