Attorney General David Lammy wants more AI-assisted judges as he steps up plans to reduce the number of jury trials.
Speaking at Microsoft’s AI event in London, Lamy, who is also deputy prime minister, acknowledged that law enforcement agencies are using the tool and said he now “wants to see more AI”.
Mr. Lamy As part of this effort, the government said it will step up investment in “justice AI” projects.
Political updates: MPs debate release of Andrews trade mission files
He also reiterated his determination to reduce the number of jury trials taking place in England and Wales to reduce the court backlog, and his recent announcement to increase the number of days in court.
This comes after Sky News revealed that at least 21 police officers are investigating. Still using Microsoft’s Copilot toolRamy has previously criticized hallucinations, which played a role in Maccabi Tel Aviv fans being banned from their match against Aston Villa.
Lamy said the AI-powered trial of the probation system had helped record interviews between offenders and police officers, helped transcribe more than 150,000 interviews and saved 25,000 hours of time.
“We are testing transcription in courtrooms and tribunals based on the same technology,” Ramey said.
“And in the Immigration and Asylum Review Office, some judges use it to write notes and statements.
“We are also piloting AI for magistrates court solicitors and district judges to speed up case progress by transcribing documents and summarizing decisions.
“We want to see more AI initiatives like this, so we’re investing more in our internal justice AI department.”
read more:
Why you shouldn’t use AI-generated passwords
Tech companies face UK block over abusive images
Richard Atkinson, a lawyer and former Law Society president, said: “I support modernizing the justice system and introducing new technology, provided it strengthens access to justice and ensures it is reliable and fair.”
“However, AI is not a silver bullet for improving the justice system. While it may help relieve some of the administrative pressures, it is not a substitute for much-needed investment in court assets or additional court staff.
“When freedom and reputation are at stake, governments must take particular care to protect people’s rights and ensure fair procedures. All decisions, especially those that have a significant impact on people’s lives, must be made by humans.”
Mr Lammy defended the proposed changes to the justice system, pointing to how it had changed under Margaret Thatcher, where cases such as getting into a car without consent were heard, and the fact that the Crown Bench was only established in the early 1970s.
Regarding jury trials, Ramey said, “It does not change the fundamental right to a fair trial, which remains absolute.
“But there is no automatic right to a trial by jury.
“And in our current system, only 3% of criminal cases actually go to a jury.
“The vast majority of cases are already being fairly tried by judges without juries.
“And even after our changes, around three-quarters of trials in the Crown Court will continue to be tried by a jury, including the majority of young people’s cases serious enough to be referred to the Crown.”
👉Listen to Politics with Sam and Anne on our podcast app👈
Darren Hardman, CEO of Microsoft UK, said: Ministry of Justice was “one of the fastest growing adopters of agent AI.”
Agentic AI is a technology that allows users to receive instructions in plain English and use a computer to perform new tasks, such as creating documents or talking to other software.
Mr. Hardman added: “While we have already delivered impactful results together, the potential for future transformation across the sector is incredibly exciting and we are honored to partner.”
