In the UK, judges have been officially permitted to use AI

The UK Ministry of Justice has announced the launch of a pilot project to integrate artificial intelligence into the work of the judicial system. Judges and lawyers will now be able to use AI assistants when analyzing case materials and performing routine tasks.

What the AI will do

According to the ministry's statement, the new tools will assist in the following areas:

• Conducting legal research
• Analyzing large volumes of documents
• Preparing case lists for hearings
• Selecting cases ready for trial
• Consolidating similar legal proceedings

The systems are being developed in collaboration with British lawyers and specialized AI companies.

Goal of the project

The government expects that the introduction of artificial intelligence will improve the efficiency of the Royal Courts of Justice and reduce the massive backlogs of cases. As of today, the number of pending cases in the country's courts exceeds 80,000 — twice the figure from 2019.

Deputy Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor David Lammi noted that automating labor-intensive operations will significantly unburden judicial system staff.

Controlled testing

In the initial phase, AI systems will operate under strictly controlled conditions. Only after a thorough analysis of the results and risk assessment will a decision be made on further expansion of the project.

At the same time, the government announced the creation of AI Growth Labs — special platforms for safely testing and deploying AI technologies in the legal sector.

In brief

A pilot project has been launched in the UK allowing judges and lawyers to use artificial intelligence for document analysis, research, and case preparation. The initiative aims to ease the burden on a judicial system that has accumulated over 80,000 pending cases. In the first phase, AI use will be strictly controlled. The project is seen as an important step toward modernizing British justice.